Star Wars: The Hyperion Journeys: Echoes of a Bygone Age
by Tenkai Nankobo 101
Summary: Hyperion Algethii was trained a Sith warrior. He'd known only the brutality of combat and how to use his gifts of the Force to destroy. But when he is left for dead on Ando Prime, he tries to make a new life rather than pursue revenge for it was revenge that got him here. With a boy he adopted, he attempts to put his old life behind until a visitor with a grudge finally finds him.
1. Prologue & Chapter One

**A/N: First of all, sorry for the incredibly long hiatus. In addition to being busy with my original publications, I've taken four part-time jobs upon myself though I hope to soon remove two of them and trade for one with greater hours. I've also been helping a friend with his own original project and related fanfiction works. On the subject of this material, I used to be a member of a Star Wars RPG guild that I once enjoyed but I had a falling out with them and have since resigned. This story is based on a path I wanted to take with one of my characters before I resigned from the site. I also took some inspiration from God of War 4, particularly where themes occur as well as things I would've done if I were righting the story... with the adoption you're about to read being one of them, hint hint. That said, hope you enjoy this!**

 **Star Wars**

 **The Hyperion Journeys**

 **Echoes of a Bygone Age**

 **By**

 **Christopher Cleveland**

 **Prologue**

Ando Prime was normally a quiet world, cold but quiet as the wearied warrior liked. First arriving on the precipice of taking revenge against the brother who turned their parents against him, the bald human warrior was now broken and alone. Defeated by his own pride as much as the Jedi Sentinel who had freed his brother and the companion he'd managed to capture, he now wandered the snow without reason or purpose. He knew he was never going to get his revenge, the Jedi had seen to it that if he survived, he wouldn't be able to escape Ando Prime with his life.

Defeated... again as he had been so many times before, discarded like old pieces of flimsiplast whose use had ceased when their information was copied in the Archives of the Jedi Temple. Like the Sith Emperor called Vitiate was said to have done to his own people in favor of loftier goals than even the Empire could ever hope to have claimed for him. And all he would have was the silence, the endless tracks of snow occasionally broken by some small settlement that scrounged and scraped by to survive even as the Jedi claimed to help them. However, where he could actually believe that his brother Dantius would try to help whoever he could, he doubted the Jedi had time for the people they should've been protecting in fighting the Sith. This day, however, would mark the first time there had been any real action that he could witness in weeks.

Beyond the space battle he was witnessing, life carried on as much as it had since he had arrived less than a month. He watched the machinations of the Jedi and Sith unfold but watching was all he could do now. _Discarded... disgraced... defeated... abandoned once again as it has seemed the Force wills every time I have pursued revenge for my brother's travesties against me_ he thought. He had managed to make repairs to his mechanical arm which told him that he at least knew how to ensure his survival but he wasn't sure he knew anything more than mere survival. Did he even _want_ to know anything other than this life he had been left to by a brother he had wronged yet had begrudged when Dantius locked him away for several years?

He only knew his skill, his breath which shone as mist upon the vast emptiness that sometimes seemed to mirror the gaping maw of the Dark Side itself in oblivion. But he wasn't alone, he could sense that much through the Force. He also knew that the intrusive presence that dared enter his tomb of ice and solitude, far from the war between Light and Dark Sides of the Force. However, there was something unusual about this one, something different that he knew he didn't usually sense in a single isolated incident as much as several entities at once. It was the presence of someone dying, something he'd felt before and too often to count: hell, he'd been the reason it'd even arisen, dozens of times.

It took some doing with the snow being more than a third of a meter deep in some places but he finally arrived to the source. A refugee ship had crashed, likely because of the Sith Marauders that were attacking the Republic cargo ships above. Among the bodies was one woman, an Iridonian Zabrak if her horns and patterns were indication. "Please... good sir," she began. Before he could ask what she was talking about, she produced a bundle from beneath her stomach.

The cloth was somewhat stained with her blood but not so much it would leak onto the contents. Using the Force, the human known as Hyperion unwrapped part of the bundle to reveal her baby beneath the clothing. As far as he could tell, the child didn't have the Force but he had never known what it was like to sense it in infants, having never done so before. All the same, he could sense something special about this child, something that just _may_ result in the Force. Even so, he couldn't simply take the child as he had never raised a child before even though he produced one when he raped a former lover of his brother, if only to spite him.

"I have been called many things but good isn't among them, ma'am. How do you know I will not take the child only long enough to see you die then leave him to the elements?" Hyperion replied.

"He is my only child... you can offer what I can no longer give... Please, take him," she begged.

"If you were too weak to protect him then your line deserves to die with you both. The safety of your child is no concern of mine," Hyperion told her. It was all he wanted to say, never mind the fact he had _killed_ children was young as that one before. If she had any inclination of his true nature, she would not be so willing to give her child to him and he knew it all too well.

"Whatever you think... you are... it isn't... so. Take my child... prove it... so! Save him... please," she asked, whispering the last words. Her final breaths were exhaled in those moments, leaving only the baby which began moving and squirming as the cold awakened it. Hyperion merely walked away, his training as a Sith Warrior calling for him to abandon the weak to their fate.

In the end, their destiny was to serve as the stepping stones of men like him on their path to greater power. But then, how much good had been the life of a Sith warrior been for him? Hell, how much good had the whole kriffing Dark Side done him in his year serving it? In combination to the baby's crying growing worse, Hyperion decided that maybe a new path would serve him better. Maybe the Force was calling him to leave behind the more power-hungry and ambitious tenants of its Dark Side.

Circling back, he scooped the baby up with his left arm and whispered assurances as best he could. He'd never tended to a child before and he wasn't sure he would have the ability to create a new life when he had spent almost all of his youth butchering it. Who knew? Maybe he would finally find the path to peace he had been looking for, far from the eyes of the brother who thought he'd had him killed.

Looking around the bundle, he was curious to see if there was some kind of tag with the child's name on it. He was pleased to find that there was one and a name he wished he had been given when he was born. The child's name was Menelaus, like a great warrior that existed in Hyperion's childhood home. Last Hyperion had heard, the man had died a great hero to the people... perhaps this child would become an even better man to others across time and space.

 **Eleven years later...**

 **Chapter One**

In the days following Menelaus' unofficial adoption, Hyperion had his mother cremated. According to a note he'd found on among her surviving luggage, her will was to be burned then have her ashes carried to Dathomir and disbursed when Menelaus was of age. He had kept the ashes though why he did so was a mystery: he could've just disbursed them anywhere he pleased without either one of them knowing. And what would it have mattered if he could kill the boy with a flick of his wrist and the activation of his lightsaber? But in the effort to forge a new life, he decided it would be best to let time and patience show him what to do with the ashes and the boy.

He also put away his lightsaber and his old suit of armor which was a knockoff of good Mando'a suits anyway. Favoring clothing more suited to the climate, he also used materials from the wreckage and what scraps he could find beneath Ando Prime's snow to make new weapons. A whip with a hook that could tear out a vertebrate of a humanoid spine was on of his first achievements as well as perfecting it and tougher animals. He'd also customized scraplets that became his shuriken projectiles completed with a wrist mounted dispenser that could shoot out six at a time on each side of his forearm. When all else failed, he also had a spear made with cortosis tipped head and shaft that he could use either for dueling or as a javelin.

He also stole two Republic soldiers' vibroblade knives, one for Menelaus and one for himself, and made a bow that Menelaus could use to learn to hunt for himself. Hyperion had also fashioned himself an ax out of some of the durasteel that he could use to cut down trees for their cabin and the firewood they'd need every night. Last but most certainly not least, he also created a multi-layered shield with the frontmost layer forged in cortosis for durability and phrik alloy for lightweight carriage. The spear also came with collapsibility so that Hyperion could carry it over longer distances especially as age began to catch up with him. Whenever he wanted to avoid using any of those weapons, he stole several rounds of ammunition and a pistol with which to use them.

He also stole one for Menelaus and created a cache of ammunition from which the boy could draw. When all those weapons failed, Hyperion did for him what he had once done for the Nautolan Padawan Inoy. He taught him what he remembered of his Echani martial arts training in case the boy was ever being abducted. "On the journey ahead, to fulfill your mother's wish," Hyperion once said, "we will be attacked by all manner of people. Some will want us dead for looking at them wrong, others will want to interrogate us for things we did in defense of ourselves. The point is, we will only have ourselves to trust completely and without any real hesitation at all."

Menelaus had taken well to the lessons, having never known a single thing about who his father was and probably a good thing as well. Because Hyperion not only knew only a little more than he did but wasn't sure how Menelaus would've responded to finding out that he didn't even know the name of the boy's sperm donor. It also would probably fly in the face of the image the boy had come to believe of him if he told him he nearly abandoned him to the elements as an infant. In fact, Hyperion had found it better to either redirect or ignore the boy's questions about his past and keep to the education that he was being given wherever possible. Whenever Menelaus fell asleep for the typical ten or twelve hours that boys apparently tended to sleep, Hyperion meditated for four hours then practiced his lightsaber exercises with a smoothed staff he had carved when he vowed he would never use his lightsaber again; he also practiced his Force powers to keep all edges sharp in case he should ever need them again.

But the more he did so, the more the voices of the past he swore to leave behind threatened to consume his sanity and spit out what remained for Menelaus to deal with. Each time that happened, each time he felt the void of the Dark Side beckon to him, he ended his training in time for Menelaus to wonder what he was doing even as he was still half-asleep. However, there was one time where Menelaus was preparing firewood for use to keep their house warm and Hyperion was able to train alone. That was to be the time that everything changed, that the galaxy finally found its way into Hyperion's quiet exile on Ando Prime. He was meditating after completing yet another round of training when he heard the crunch of someone approaching in the snow.

There wasn't any way that it was Menelaus: the steps were too big, the gap between crunches was too long, and there was something different about this one. The presence approaching didn't have any of the signs which hinted Force-sensitivity but he didn't doubt the would-be invader of his sanctuary was still dangerous. Opening his eyes, he said nothing as the Twi'lek man approached, a broad-shouldered man of exceptional condition. _Probably a soldier or ex-soldier in one of the warring armies I fought against in my youth_ Hyperion silently guessed. The twi'lek also carried the standard weaponry of a former soldier, Havoc Squad by the looks of his insignia or what remained of it from the years of wear and tear the paint had taken.

"Huh, thought you'd be a bit more scary. But you're definitely the one I've been searching for: been lookin' for you fifteen years, boy!" he said. Hyperion didn't say anything verbally but hinted at his inquiry with a slight raise of his eyebrow. Otherwise, he didn't change his stance or prepare for combative capability right away: out of his prime though he was, he knew he was still formidable against this guy if he needed to be.

"You were one of them Sith blokes that wiped out my boys early in the war. Done killed my whole team and assumed I was dead on the way out, back on Nar Shaddaa," the Twi'lek said. Hyperion decided the time for storyteller was over and ask the most important question that had yet been answered.

"You'll have to be specific. I killed a lot of people on Nar Shaddaa during a lot of trips there. Why should I remember you?" he asked. It wasn't a question of spite considering Hyperion _did_ regret the sins of his old life, but one based on remember that that planet alone held a higher kill count on his part than almost any of the other planets or systems he'd visited.

"I was one of the first Republic soldiers to arrive on the scene when you and that Weequay and a Nautolan Padawan tore up the joint of a Hutt named Kublai. You tore yourself free of your mechanical arm and when my squad came to take you in for questioning you killed all but me. But you left a note and an amulet on my brother's buddy that the kid found," said the Twi'lek. _Seth al Ugolio, that name still burns its way into my mind sometimes,_ Hyperion want to say, _but the name of the Nautolan burns even hotter into my soul. He was the only one who believed there was any good in me, the only one who tried to bring it out too._

There were times when he regretted leaving the amulet of his forebears in the care of then-Padawan Inoy Llimetch, who'd only joined Hyperion and Seth out of necessity. He was trying to find his way back to the Jedi Temple after losing a mentor and had been stranded until Hyperion and Seth found themselves in need of a third gear. "I'm pleased he obtained it and content to have survived... even if I wish I hadn't killed your squad brothers to do it," he said aloud. In the entire time the conversation had been occurring, Hyperion had been readying a shuriken to shoot out one of his wrist mounts to destroy the soldier's rifle.

"Normally, I wouldn't pursue revenge but I was one of the first asked to pursue you when the Jedi were making their cleanup efforts. Said it might do some good to use soldiers like me to draw Sith scum like you back in the open for them to slice down," said the soldier. _Have the Jedi found me? Has_ he _found me?_ Hyperion asked himself grimly.

"I'm afraid you won't be wanting _this_ fight, I can promise you that," he warned aloud.

"Actually, I'm certain I do. You don't have your kriffin' lightsaber and I got a blaster rifle that'll make the whole top of your head into a canoe with one frackin shot. Surrender to me and we'll make this nice and easy for ya, whaddya say?" snapped the soldier.

"Dad?" came the distant shout of Menelaus. The soldier wheeled his head to see who had said that and Hyperion used the time to launch the shuriken at the midpoint of the rifle. Consequently, he essentially sliced it in half with the little projectile which wasn't phenomenal since it was made of a combination of phrik alloy and bits of Mando'a iron.

"Foolish soldier, it isn't the weapon that makes the man better at fighting. It's the mind of the man that makes the weapon deadly, rapidfire capabilities and damaging bolts are no substitution for true skill. Peace has done you a disfavor, boy," Hyperion said, applying the slightest bit of Force suggestion to perform dun möch. He then wheeled himself backward and unfolded his legs so that he could rise up to full height, which'd see the Twi'lek staring at his chest if he were close enough. Knowing how soldiers like him tended to operate, Hyperion wasted no time in using the Force to activate the one thermal detonator he observed on the man's utility belt.

The soldier was fortunate that he was quick for he would have been little more than a burnt crisp if he hadn't thought to unclip his belt and dive-roll out of the blast radius. With only one cart of six shots in the chamber, the Twi'lek shot through the smoke that resulted from the explosion, hoping to score a hit though all six didn't even come close to reaching the older human. _He's got youth, soldier's training, and he's angry. I've got the Force, superior martial training, more experience, and a level head_ thought the former Sith. "Ah hell, I wanted a chance to kill you with my bare hands anyway," said the soldier right before he charged.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Hyperion was admittedly surprised by how fast the Twi'lek moved even for a soldier. "Papa?" asked Menelaus.

"Get the frack out of here, hide, do something! Just don't stay here!" Hyperion ordered at once. Menelaus knew better than to disobey a direct order from the man who'd raised him but Hyperion knew as well that the soldier was going to give no qualm or room for mercy. After nearly twelve years away from such ruthlessness, Hyperion was about to find out if he still had the mettle for it. The soldier extended an arm out his flank and hooked Hyperion's throat with it as he expected a man in such a position as him to do when faced with a larger opponent.

It would have probably ended right there were it not for the fact that the soldier's rage caused him to run over a large enough stone to trip him, throwing them both to the ground. "You were a Sith warrior, this is the kind of monster Padawans get frightened by?! Pitiful!" the soldier taunted when he was able to.

"I warned you that you wouldn't want this confrontation. Now you'll see what it means to be in a real fight," Hyperion growled, rising to his feet more quickly. His Force powers, he noticed hadn't diminished much but he knew he couldn't rely strictly on them. If he should ever have his connection severed for any reason, he would need the weapons he learned to wield and his martial prowess in order to protect Menelaus from the foes of his past. The boy's time had come, the journey to Dathomir would begin, and he knew he couldn't teach the boy the Force. How could a master teach a youngling something he had no gift for?

When the soldier arose again, he made the mistake of trying to break in Hyperion's skull with a left hooking blow of his fist. Because the former Sith warrior deflected it with his left fist and proceeded to then jab for his throat with the knuckles of that same hand. Instead, he ended up hitting the jawline with his fist but quickly switched hands and landed a resounding blow where the Twi'lek would have felt it in his aorta artery if not for his armor. Armor, Hyperion noticed, that only protected him enough to stop him dying but not so much that he was immune to Hyperion's attacks. Further dooming the Twi'lek was the fact that all Force-sensitives trained in combat typically came with ungodly feats of speed and agility even if this was usually channeled in lightsaber combat.

This meant that the augmented momentum at which Hyperion landed his blows wouldn't kill his opponent straight away but would feel like he was being hit with fast-moving balls of pure cortosis. Either the standard of quality armor has dropped since the war ended or I've grown stronger in my older age. Regardless, this man will know why he should never have come here Hyperion thought, smirking wickedly as he did so. The first true fistfight he'd had in nearly twelve years and he was already disappointed both by his foreknowledge of the outcome and how easy it was going to be, Havoc Squad or not. All this was registered in less than ten seconds and when the soldier's left fist came next, he dodged then let him step three paces ahead before jabbing his lower back with a left underhand strike of his own.

Though Echani was a style mostly used for wrestling and pinning down opponents with the strength of the species of the same name, Hyperion had been trained well. It hadn't been a far stretch in his early years for him to take some of the same grabs of Echani and apply them for making an enemy open for punching, jabbing, or otherwise breaking with the closed fist. So when the soldier tried again with a left jab to his collarbone, Hyperion already knew to counter by first deflecting with his right arm then land a left hooking blow dead in the ribs. "Mercy is for the weak and stupid, when your enemy is dazed don't give quarter until he's dead!" said the voice of his trainer, which still rang deep in his head. "You use this skill against your enemy because he is your enemy, he must die!" it added a moment later.

But Hyperion knew that if the Republic had sent a guy who found him, there'd be others who'd come. Others who wouldn't take so kindly to finding out Hyperion had killed their predecessor with his bare hands. No, it was much better to merely cripple the guy long enough for him and Menelaus to make a break for the mountain range where they could hide for several standard months. Because then they could at least have a chance to defend themselves in court if when they were captured then they would if Hyperion killed this man. In desperation, the soldier tried to slug his right arm across to Hyperion's face but this was intercepted with both of the ex-Sith's hands.

This was followed by a short but potent jab to the nose, which broke the cartilage and let blood ooze from both nostrils, along with a powerful right hook below the eye. Switching hands, he punched the Twi'lek man's throat with his left fist (just under the chin) with a right jab to the teeth and another left blow just above his waistline. He then placed his left hand on the man's right shoulder to hold him in place as he swiped with the most powerful roundhouse punch he could throw without any Force powers to help him. Adding insult to injury, in a sense, was the fact that the knuckle plate of Hyperion's mechanical right hand was made with thick durasteel that had beads of phrik where the knuckles of a flesh and blood hand would be. So as he expected, the man was launched into a brief spin then fell on his back into the snow.

Each of those hits from his right arm, Hyperion realized, might have been the reason he had stood a chance at all of winning without the Force's help. The blows from his artificial arm must have really felt like they hurt whenever they were landed especially on flesh. This was of course, excluding the fact Hyperion had also had a band of thick metal he could wear across the knuckles of his left fist for such occasions as this. So in the end, in using only those two things he immediately possessed, he proved his point about the man making the weapon rather than the other way around. "Save yourself a hospital stay and stand down," Hyperion snarled, preferring to relish the fact he could still hold his own after so many years away from combat.

Of all the Sith traits Hyperion had wanted to do away with, self-preservation wasn't one of them. Not when his wasn't the only life he was fighting to protect as it might have been when he was younger. But the man rose, several minutes later and tried again though he was too dazed to truly fight now. So Hyperion grabbed his head with both hands, kneed him once below the ribs then heaved him over his shoulders. In keeping with Echani traditions, Hyperion threw the man up and over with such force that the thud of his landing at once alerted the older human there was no way his enemy wouldn't be down for the count unless he had a spare kolto pack somewhere.

He knew the man would be back, knew that he would chase after them again when he recovered. And that was assuming the native creatures of the planet didn't see an easy meal in him before then.

The only thing left to do, this noted, was see how Menelaus was coming along with their preparations for the mountains. That was, of course, if he had even obeyed Hyperion and taken refuge from the fight in the downstairs compartment that Hyperion had built for such occasions. Menelaus was nowhere that could immediately be seen which was a good sign of his obedience to Hyperion. "Boy, where are you!?" Hyperion asked, shouting so he could be heard. The lock to the downstairs doors unclicked and Menelaus emerged with the provisions they usually took to the mountains.

He had enough nutrition bars for them to last several years in the mountain without ever needing to hunt for meat. The boy had also done a good job of fetching enough water for them to find a source of melted snow they could safely rely on for hydration, one that was consistent. "Did you kill him, dad?" Menelaus asked.

"No, he should live and recover to fight another day. But there will be more like him and worse than him, the enemies of my youth will never rest until they've found us again. We only need to stay in the mountains until I can figure out what would be best for us. Is your bow ready?" Hyperion replied.

"I also have your whip and shuriken shooters if you want those," Menelaus offered, producing the weapons he was talking about despite what it meant for the baggage he carried. Taking both the whip and the dispenser, he then asked Menelaus to retrieve his shield, spear, ax, and both their knives. He added that he would get their mountain coats and the tents that they would need for the trip, whenever they couldn't find a cave to hunker in. The former Sith also kept the knuckleduster he'd used to enhance the effectiveness of his left hand punches for good measure.

"Pop?" Menelaus began, speaking when Hyperion assured him that he had his attention. "Where did you learn to fight better than a soldier of the Republic? From the ones who raised you?" he asked.

"A question for another time but be satisfied that I was never raised so much as groomed. I'll tell you more once I know we'll be safe and have time. Come, the longer we stall, the harder it'll be to get moving," Hyperion said. The longer he can go without knowing who I was and what he can never be, the more likely he'll have the stomach to know it when I tell him observed the older human.

"Yes sir," said Menelaus, who strapped the bow, quiver, and knife onto his person before placing his backpack with his camping gear over all of that. It took them only a few minutes to begin after that, their goal being to cover as much ground as possible in ten standard hours.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

He isn't ready for the journey... Hyperion thought grimly as they traversed the forest. Then again, no child was ever truly prepared to enter the world of adulthood no matter how much society of any scale tried to make the transition seem like a straight narrow. He is still too weak from the last time he got sick and too quick to fret even when he is healthy. Unsure and lacking in confidence, he thinks the fact he lacks the Force makes him inadequate he added to himself silently.

If only there was a way he could say that his feelings of inferiority due to not possessing the Force was one of the reasons he should've been the one to have it. He should've been the one born with powers like those of a god while Hyperion faded away in the folds of mediocrity. But such wasn't the case and as it was, the two of them got along as best they could. "Pop?" Menelaus asked.

"Yes son?" replied Hyperion.

"Did you kill that soldier?" the boy inquired.

"No, though I knew he'd follow us again if I spared him. If he died, the ones he answers to would've sent even worse agents. They're already going to hound us across this world or any other world we intend to settle down in," Hyperion admitted.

"Why are they doing this?" the boy continued.

"Old crimes I committed when I was a young man. You will learn all you need to know as time comes," Hyperion promised. They continued their journey in silence from that point even as voices Hyperion had long thought behind him began to reemerge with this quest to the mountains.

 _You presume too much in your belief that you have truly escaped what you were. Have you still not learned who is master and who is slave?_ said one. It was a voice he hadn't heard since he was a child but apparently, some things never changed. To this day, the ones who enslaved him whilst he trained still believed they held any meaning to him now. Ignoring them, he used the ax to bring down an entire aspen tree down so that it could be used for firewood during the night.

 _Pretend to be all you never aspired to in your youth... teacher, brother, father! But you will always be a barbarian monster incapable of real love or compassion. You will forever be marked by the Dark Side as its property even if you have forsworn your mastery of it_ said another of the voices as Hyperion chopped the tree down. This one, he recognized as his brother Dantius calling to him but not the kind of calling that was performed by a meditative trance. No, this was born of Hyperion's perception of how Dantius must have felt when he finally made the decision to cut the strings which bound them through the Force.

 _We gave you power and you used it to kill, Hyperion!_ exclaimed his mother. Hyperion did his best to drown out the voices of his families and those he killed, swinging the ax harder and wider. On two occasions, he almost hit Menelaus with the sharp back end of the ax but the boy was agile enough to dodge each blow. But Hyperion apologized for each occasion and asked Menelaus to focus on getting combustible materials like moss or something similar while he gathered the wood.

 _As I once told you, lead your so-called masters to strike us down and we would always be with you. Always there to haunt you and lead you down the path of guilt_ said his father. When Hyperion finished, he brought the pieces of firewood he wanted to use first, the ones that were dryest. But when he set them down, Menelaus not only provided fuel but also asked something of Hyperion he'd never asked before.

"Can I try to light it, this time? I've been working on my flints just like you told me to and I want to test it out now," he offered. Hyperion only nodded and took a seat at a nearby rock to see if Menelaus could make the fire start. It took Menelaus a good minute or so, seeing it was the first time he was being truly allowed to start a fire. But he was finally able to get it going and when he did, Hyperion smirked in appreciation that his foster son had actually learned something.

However, there was a flaw in Menelaus' crafting which was slight and almost imperceptible. Gesturing for the boy to bring his stone over, Hyperion looked it over and noticed the surface was not as flat as it had initially appeared. Using the Force power known as Force Sight, he found the flaws and ground them into the dust with the other stone. He also used the flawed areas of the grinding stone to fix the sparker, making both of them better in general. When the Force Sight was withdrawn, he handed both back to Menelaus and told him to try again when they needed another fire.

"In the meantime, practice your bow and arrow skills. If you need help fixing your string, let me know," he added. Menelaus nodded and it was then that Hyperion fixed his eyes to the fire before him which roared to furious life as he contemplated the road which laid before him. He isn't ready, I doubt he even stands a chance of surviving the journey he thought.

 _It is not for you to decide whether the Force should let him live or let him die in this journey. The only purpose you have is to help him make it, carry his mother's ashes until you have set foot on Dathomir. It is the only way to be sure that they will survive until he is ready to dispense them in the home of his forebears_ said a voice he hadn't heard in many moons.

"Clymene, your son is still too weak for the journey to be guaranteed. He still holds back because he knows that what I can do with the Force washes aside what he can do without it as water sweeps small rocks from the mud. Little does he realize the fact that he doesn't have the gift makes him better than me, not weaker," he said.

 _Do not judge your own gifts so harshly, Hyperion. In death I understand why the Force chose you to raise my son_ she said.

"Yet you weren't Force-sensitive yourself, how are you speaking to me?" Hyperion asked.

 _You will come to know the answer to that as you reach Dathomir. But in the meantime, your duty to my son beckons me away from you_ she said. He turned and saw what she meant.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Dad, will my bow really be effective against our enemies?" Menelaus asked, entering Hyperion's perspective as soon as the vision of Clymene disappeared.

"No, that's what the pistols are for but the principles of targeting, aiming, and firing are essentially the same. Learn the bow and it'll be even easier to learn the blaster, easier to utilize it in combat against the enemies who will stop at nothing to kill us," Hyperion admitted. Menelaus nodded but then asked the next most important question.

"How can I get good without targets to practice on?" he asked.

"I have an idea," Hyperion answered. He then raised several rocks of smooth roundular design and explained the nature of this exercise. "They're going to move so that it gets difficult for you to shoot them down. But for now, focus on just shooting them first and when you get good at it, the challenge will begin," he added after a moment.

Menelaus did his best but was only successful at hitting two of the targets and grazing another with the feathers. "It is not important that you be good right away but that you become good when it counts. Shooting rocks is nothing when compared to the ability to take a life, even in defense of yourself," Hyperion told him.

"Is that why you spared the soldier who came to our house?" Menelaus continued.

"It is," Hyperion admitted, "but his death served less purpose to us than his survival did as well. Alive, he may come after us again but we can plead self-defense if we're captured by his superiors. That I had given him every warning to leave our home through both my destruction of his weapons and verbal articulation."

"And if superiors don't care about that?" asked the boy.

"Well, the government they answer to is famous for its corruption so that isn't an impossible outcome. That is why after we disperse your mother's ashes in Dathomir, we'll make a break for uncharted space that the Republic doesn't control. If my suspicions about the fall of the Sith Empire are correct, the last thing we want is to stay on Dathomir any longer than we need to," Hyperion confessed.

"But if he comes for us again, we'll kill him right?" Menelaus asked.

"Do not be so quick to thirst for blood when you have not even felt it coursing through your hands yet as I have. _Never_ seek battle when you have yet to experience the hell of combat and the torments of protecting your life at the cost of someone else's. And _never_ think you can kill for sport because you've seen me do it: I am hardened to the ways of the universe where you are still malleable, impressionable," Hyperion warned. At that moment, he saw something he hoped he wouldn't see for some time yet, something that signaled an acceleration to their journey was needed. _The son of a kath hound has activated his distress beacon_ Hyperion said, noticing the green beam that headed straight up from where the soldier had fallen.

"What's that?" Menelaus asked, pointing out the same green beam.

"Our cue to head for the mountains a little faster than we already are and get as far into the heart of the range as we possibly can. The more ground they have to cover, the better our chances of reaching a ship that can take us to Dathomir," Hyperion said.

"So we're going to Dathomir!? We're gonna disperse my mother's ashes at its highest mountain?" Menelaus asked excitedly.

"We are, we don't have a lot of options besides."

"Then why are we going into the mountains?"

"To lead away our pursuers or dissuade them from continuing the search without any violence. Once we've got them off our tail, we'll make a break for the nearest spaceport out of here," Hyperion declared. Menelaus tried to get up but soon fell on his hands and knees, likely from a charlie horse in his leg. Hyperion scooped him up with ease and slung him over one shoulder whilst carrying his pack with the other.

"I'm sorry, I'm so weak!" Menelaus cried.

"No, you were kneeling too long and I didn't tell you that you needed to get up. You had no way of knowing that was gonna happen. Plus your species has a higher pain tolerance than almost any other humanoid so you might not have even known you had one growing for that reason. But I am not leaving you behind and you have my word boy, if you should ever be abducted, I'll hunt down the people who abducted you and make them release you or make them suffer," Hyperion promised as he carried Menelaus toward their destiny. After slinging the backpack onto his shoulder, he removed a blaster pistol from its holster in case he needed to use it going forward then began the hike forward to the stone guardians of Ando Prime.

 **While Hyperion and Menelaus** began their journey to the mountain range, the other members of Havoc Squad were arriving at the coordinates of the distress signal. Altogether, there were six total members kept in the squadron though eight more could be called back into service if needed. The leader of the Squad was a grizzled old Cather who'd seen the wars of the Jedi, Sith, and even rise of the Zakuul Eternal Empire. But because it wasn't quite eternal as it promised to be, even the succeeding Eternal Alliance eventually fell apart. Gaining the greater share of the technology of the fallen Zakuul people, the Republic had driven the Sith halfway across creation.

Since then squads had either been disbanded or temporarily suspended on paid leave. The reinstated Havoc Squad, due to their skills at staying alive and doing what they were sent to do, stayed functioning. But even they had more than half their members on paid honorable leave with exception noted to its most seasoned members. Major Aric Jorgan, a former member of the Eternal Alliance, had recruited the best of the best from that army. But when the Alliance started to crumble due to the infighting of the Sith and Jedi within it, he rejoined the Republic in the hopes that he could get his name cleared by aiding them in destroying Zakuul.

In the years since those depressing days of his life as a soldier, he'd only grown harder than he had already been reputed to be when he first took command. Nonetheless, the years of peace had been kinder on his squad than he would've liked which was why he only assigned those most vigilant and ready for conflict to remain on his active roster. Such was the case with a Twi'lek named Chen, who'd joined in the waning days of the war against the Sith and the Eternal Alliance. At the time, Aric had been impressed with his martial prowess in hand to hand combat and made him the man to go to whenever new recruits needed weapons or martial training in general. So to find him lying broken and flat on his back in the snow like this wasn't a good sign of what they were up against.

"What the hell happened Chen?" he asked at once.

"I found him, I found the man we were looking for. Then he... he..." the Twi'lek began. He didn't need to finish for Major Jorgan to understand what'd happen here. Still, he looked over the recordings of Chen's live feed for the answers he sought in case he was wrong. As soon as he did, he had all the confirmation he needed that the man they were looking for was attuned to the Force... that or just really kriffing good at fistfighting.

But the move of Echani takedown he saw, the takedown that likely kept Chen pinned in the snow like this, confirmed his suspicion of the former rather than the latter. "Get him a kolto pack then make an immediate evac back to the gunship. We're gonna need to reevaluate how we fight this guy," he ordered.

"Pull back when he's retreating!? No sir!" Chen demanded as two more squad members carried him back.

"He wouldn't kick your ass as thoroughly as he did and then retreat because of fear. No ordinary human can hit that hard and that fast plus he's got knowledge of the land that we don't. There's no way I'm risking any of my men against him until I know the ground is at least somewhat equal or in our favor. For that to be the case, we're gonna need some help... some Jedi help," Major Jorgan said.

"Why not just let him go then? We're famous for doing our work without the aid of the Jedi or not doing it at all!" Chen hissed.

"It's prey like this that's always the best to catch plus this guy's got rap sheets with both sides that's longer than a Hutt. We let him go for any longer than we've already done, he ain't ever gonna know accountability. I'm wiring the footage from your live feed to someone who knows this one, someone who can help us beat him. Maybe even talk him into surrender before there's any actual bloodshed on anyone's part," Major Jorgan said. He wasn't about to lose another trooper the way he lost his predecessors and the mates he'd bunked with on the transports that carried him to and from missions, not if he had a choice in it.

In addition to being Force-sensitive and an incredible boxer, this guy was armed to the teeth and knew every millimeter of the forest and the nearby mountains. As soon as he got to the mountains especially, they'd have no chance of catching him or finding out what that kid was doing with him. He'd better not have taken a hostage to raise as his own or else he's gettin even less mercy from me and my team Jorgan promised as he transmitted the footage with an encoded message to the one Jedi he knew would aid them.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

There is no death... there is only the Force. This Dantius Octavian had known for many years, ever since he was first recruited by Jedi Master Ra from the pits of slavery. Now, a Jedi Master with a successfully trained Padawan under his belt, he sat in contemplation on the restored temple on Dantooine. Yet the vision of his past, the one of his own brother hanging him by the wrists and preparing to butcher him like a piece of cattle meat. Immediately after it happened, eleven years ago, the visions had been especially horrible during the first two or three years. Yet as his mind recomposed itself, the visions faded until as recently as the last five standard months or so: otherwise, he hadn't them resurface in six years.

For reasons he could never understand, the visions were resurfacing and in the last month had intensified. There is no death... Dantius told himself, finding what comfort could be found in the words of the Jedi Order's wise Code. "Master Dantius?" interjected a familiar voice. It was his former Padawan, a year into his new career as a Jedi Knight of the Republic.

"Knight Polydeuces, it seems that the active role you play in Jedi affairs is quite in agreement with you! What brings you into my path once more?" Dantius asked.

"I intercepted a transmission encoded so that only you are allowed access. It's got a voice recognition contingency for good measure," he said. He then handed Dantius the chip with the transmission encoded within it so that Dantius might use it. Cracking the code, Dantius broke the additional encryptions which confirmed that it was an elite Special Forces Division squadron, specifically Havoc Squad. In the live feed he saw, a bald and pale-skinned man was using fist blows imbued with the Force for added speed and knuckledusters for added damage.

The man had a beard that completely colored the lower half of his face, he was older in general but Dantius recognized him because of his eyes and frame. There was no mistaking that the visions he'd been experiencing had risen because the Force was trying to tell him that Hyperion still lived. His brother... the brother who tried to kill him, eleven years ago, and with him take one more in his wake. _Impossible_ he thought.

"Master? Is everything alright?" asked Polydeuces but he barely heard him.

"My brother..." Dantius said, distantly thinking aloud, "how can he be alive after all these years?" When Hyperion had been defeated, the Jedi Council member had utterly humiliated and severely injured him with the kind of blows Dantius didn't think even his Force Rage could save him from.

"Master? I didn't even know you had a brother," Polydeuces admitted.

"I buried that part of my past when I came back to Dantooine. When we last fought, he had captured me and a Jedi named Coventry so that he could slowly butcher us over entire standard weeks with his blade. I threw him down a shaft with the Force when he tried to stab Master Forseti from behind after being utterly humiliated by him... there's no way he should be alive," Dantius explained.

"Unless the Force willed it so for some purpose we have yet to divine from it?" Polydeuces offered.

"Possible but why him?" Dantius demanded. "Never mind, I know someone who might want to tag along. Someone who said he'd seen some good in my brother before he disappeared from Nar Shaddaa."

"Nar Shaddaa? The gang world and who?" asked Polydeuces.

"A certain Nautolan we both know, my friend. Said Nautolan was a friend of mine even before he met Hyperion and released a full report about his exploits with Hyperion and the Weequay Seth al Ugolio. Name ain't ringing a bell yet?" Dantius replied.

"Inoy!? But last I heard, he was helping his native planet of Glee Anselm with a dispute of territory between its species," Polydeuces said.

"He was but returned less than a standard week ago. Odds are, he'll probably be an important intermediary in this mission to track down and bring in my brother," Dantius said.

"Actually, wouldn't it be better if you didn't go at all? Your personal connection to him may make you all the more susceptible to the Dark Side if he uses it against you," Polydeuces asked. _From a tactical standpoint, he may be right but the signal was originally given to me for decoding_ Dantius thought. Aloud, he shrugged and admitted that it couldn't hurt for Polydeuces and Inoy to work a little more closely together for a little while.

"Let me contact him and get you two underway. He knows Hyperion almost as well as I do so you will be in good hands for the journey ahead. I'll coordinate things with Major Jorgan on the side while you two work in the field as it were," Dantius offered.

"You sure you need three Jedi? Two Masters and a Knight, no less?" Polydeuces asked.

"Not to worry, I will not take to the battlefield unless I absolutely have to. You and Inoy should be more than enough for Hyperion at this point in our lives," Dantius said. He knew it was possible that Hyperion had forsworn the lightsaber or at least mistrusted his skills with it if the footage was indication. When they were much younger, it was the first and only weapon Dantius ever expected to see but the man in the footage?

The man in the footage had a whip, spear, shield, ax, shurikens, two blaster pistols, and a knuckleduster so that his flesh hand might be amplified to similar strength as his artificial one. More important, it also looked like he had some of the latest in portable laser field generation technology and the kind that was known for either incinerating its target or shredding them into several sticky pieces like a Sith's lightsaber, depending on how cruel the user felt. Then there was the matter of the little Zabrak boy with the bow and arrows that Hyperion had probably fashioned for him. Was Dantius deluding himself when he heard the boy called Hyperion his dad?

Had Hyperion truly taken a child under his wing after his defeat at the hands of Master Forseti, Coventry, and Dantius? If so, what did he hope to gain with this kid and what did it have to do with putting away his old armor and lightsaber? Was Hyperion hoping that by raising this child, maybe he could begin to wash the blood that stained his hands for so many years of his life? How had Hyperion sunk so low that he thought adopting someone else's child would help him begin to mend the sins of his past?

"Master Octavian, shall I send for Inoy now?" asked Polydeuces. Dantius nodded and fell to a chair to think about what he was seeing. He himself still used Teräs Käsi as his preferred martial arts style but it was clear that Hyperion had at least retained expertise in his own Echani variant. It was also clear that even if he wasn't using a lightsaber anymore, he still retained an ability to pick it up and wield it if the smoothness of his spear wielding in the recorded moments of his escape served as evidence. His grip alone suggested that he had been practicing, whether or not that had meant taking out and using his lightsaber blade once more.

He also noticed that Hyperion also still commanded enough Force powers to slice the rifle in half with his shuriken then trigger a thermal detonator remotely. This was going to be a dangerous time for Polydeuces and Inoy which made it fortunate the latter was a veteran of war. More to the point, the kid was still young and very much in his prime, capable of taking the battle to Hyperion as easily as Polydeuces could. Dantius could then keep to his tactical experience with facing down his older brother.

The only question that remained would be how to convince the Council it was necessary to bring him in. All records showed that Hyperion had never served any real time with the Empire beyond being a blade for hire. More to the point, even though he was aligned to the Dark Side, he had not been formally recognized as a Sith Warrior in any way of significance. Perhaps if Dantius played up the fact that Hyperion would be the next best threat in the wake of the Sith Empire's downfall in combination to his rap sheet? Hyperion was a criminal of the Republic whether or not he had been officially acknowledged as a Sith Lord.

It was also worth noting that because he survived the attempt he made on Dantius' life and had tried to attack one of Dantius' superiors, his criminality was felonious. Then there was that boy: unless he could _prove_ that Hyperion had kidnapped and brainwashed him, the Council wouldn't let him do anything to remove the Zabrak child from Hyperion's custody. On top of that, where would the boy be reassigned if it turned out that he wasn't Force-sensitive? What would the Council think about assigning him into their ranks if it turned out that he was indeed Force-sensitive in any way?

If assigned to either the Temple for safekeeping or turned over to a trusted foster family, could he in turn be trusted not to come back for revenge against the Order? Could he perhaps be swayed to testify that he had been kidnapped in exchange for a lesser sentence if he had caused anyone's death or full pardon if his hands were clean? Hyperion's return into this plane of existence created far too many questions for Dantius to safely navigate them all at the moment. All he could do was trust that the Force had the answers and it would reveal them to him when the time was right.

But if Hyperion was alive, what did it say of the presence of the Dark Side in this galaxy? Was it possible that servants of the Dark Side like those who wielded greater power than Hyperion still lived? Most of all, why would it choose _Hyperion_ to reveal that, if so?


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

The charlie horse in Menelaus' leg had recovered sufficiently enough for the boy to walk. But aside from the blaster pistol at his belt, Hyperion had decided it was best to let him put no weight on that same leg or anymore than he already was going to with his body. Even so, Hyperion still kept a watch and chose trails that would get them closer to the mountains more quickly but did not require much exertion from the boy in case it acted up again. But enough time passed that Hyperion became convinced it wouldn't and offered the backpack back to his ward who took it gladly. "It won't happen again, I promise!" Menelaus told him when he'd been given the pack.

"See that it doesn't. On this journey, fitness is critical in order to survive any fight, any mileage conquered, anything of consequence that we will deal with in this odyssey. If you can't hack it, you _will_ suffer and maybe even die. I don't tell you this because I don't intend to help you where I can: I tell you this because there may come a time where I _can't_ help you," Hyperion warned.

"If that time comes, what then?" asked Menelaus.

"Then you will be forced to trust in the skills I taught you and hope they get you out alive. I will do what I can to help you from whatever end I'm on but it is ultimately within your power to control how you emerge," Hyperion answered. He couldn't think of more honest words to tell the boy before him but he hoped he was making sense, regardless. After all, these were the words he wished he had been told by his parents, the sentiment he wished he had been taught by his grandfather, and a philosophy he wished had been encouraged by his brother. They walked in silence for a little while after that until they came across a small man and his young Bantha.

"Come on you little _schutta_ , you gotta make it across this here bridge!" said the man. Menelaus looked up to Hyperion, silently asking if it was safe to approach this humanoid who was too intently focused on his steed to notice them anyway. Using his power of Force Sight, Hyperion tried to gauge whether or not the man would have malicious intent if they revealed themselves to him. Not immediately sensing anything, but not fully confident that it was safe, he shook his head when his sight returned to normal.

"Until I can confirm for myself, keep your distance. Have your blaster ready in case we need to use it on him or level it against him," Hyperion whispered after a moment. Menelaus nodded and primed his pistol for "kill" in case his foster father was correct in his assessment of the situation. They approached with caution, making sure not to startle the little man that was stuck ahead of them.

"Excuse us?" Menelaus asked when they were in earshot. The little man wheeled on them so fast that Hyperion readied his ax for usage against the traveler. As soon as the blade was produced, the man's eyes glistened as if in recognition though Hyperion had never seen him before.

"You... you're the human that's been living at the bottom of the mountain base for years. And this is your little Zabrak kid you've got, ain't it?" said the little man.

"How do you know of us?" Hyperion asked.

"Boy, I've been on Ando Prime for about thirty-two standard years and you don't survive that long without learning who lives around you and who don't. That ax you got? It's made outta metals usually found in Republic transports or vibroblades, ain't it?" replied the short man.

"You are a weaponsmith?" Hyperion asked.

"And a blacksmith. My creations put me on the map in the Ando system and even got me an engineering job in the Republic during the war. Name's Fabro, I'm a Bimm. Yours?" said the little man. _What's a Bimm doing all the way out here? I was under the impression they never left their homeworld of Bimmisaari, much less practiced anything of war_ Hyperion said silently.

Aloud, he said, "If you're a Bimm then how did the Republic learn of your talent for making weapons of war? The Bimm are a pacifistic species and inherently want nothing to do with fighting, killing, and violence."

"You're right. Damn bastards that rule my people banished me after my talents turned into weapons making. I made some of the best damn cannons, turrets, and other weapons the Republic ever used against the Sith and I ain't ever taken the Sith up on their offers of higher pay than the Republic. After the Republic had their designs, I done came here and dedicated myself to making hunting gear people like you could use to survive. In return, I get a portion of all kills from those who use my creations but for you, I can make upgrades to your weapons at no charge if it so pleases you," said Fabro.

"Why would you be so friendly to us? We haven't offered you any tribute of any kind and we've lived independently of you for eleven years," Hyperion demanded.

"That's precisely why I want to help you. I respect the fact you're one of the few poor bastards in all Ando Prime that ain't got my helping touch yet. But you done well for yourself and I wanna see you keep doing that way. There's a weak spot right about where your left hand would grasp the ax handle if you made to chop with it. One good swing to that part from a club or a blade and it's goodbye ax. That head is also not as sturdy: couple of solid hits to a durasteel hull and that thing'll shatter like glass but otherwise it's pristine," Fabro replied.

"You wouldn't tell me all that poodoo and then expect to upgrade my weapons for free," Hyperion said. As he waited for Fabro to speak, he used Force Sight to look over the ax and detected the exact weaknesses that Fabro spoke of.

"Well ain't you adorable. Now that you mention it, a herd of tantas has been pestering me and trying to get into my food stuffs. If you and your little turd there could just scare them off or kill them, I'd deeply appreciate that," Fabro requested.

"Tantas belong to the Talids, heirs apparent to the legacy of the Dai Bendu and usually have a hint of Force-sensitivity. You want us to clash with that so that you got enough to eat?" Menelaus asked.

"It's survival of the fittest when you're living outside the city, ain't it?" Fabro replied. He does make a reasonable point, but I may have something that'll scare those tantas without hurting them... much Hyperion thought silently. "Oh and one more thing, I saw what you did to that Republic soldier," Fabro said.

"You'll lead them straight to us if we don't help you. Is that it?" Hyperion snarled.

"Nah, it's why I wanted to help you for free. I ain't ever seen someone slam such fists against a soldier of the Special Forces Division and so easily win before. That was the funniest Bantha poodoo I'd ever seen in years," Fabro replied. _A man of any species who gets his humor from soldiers being beaten up by commoners like me is never to be trusted_ Hyperion said to Menelaus via telepathy. Menelaus nodded and used binoculars he'd snagged from their home to see if he could spot the herd.

"I see them, dad!" Menelaus exclaimed. Hyperion used Force Sight again to keep up with what his son was perceiving and could confirm the visual his foster son had on them.

"We'll see if they have an owner with them and then persuade them to keep the herds away from Fabro's feeding bags. If we can do that, we'll keep clear of stirring up trouble with the Dai Bendu and keep the Republic from finding us for a while longer," Hyperion said. But he readied his ax and shield in case there was trouble ahead, especially if the owner was someone more volatile. The Talids were generally pacifistic, thanks to the wisdom of the Dai Bendu but they were capable of trading blows as needed. More important, their heritage as heirs apparent to the legacy of the Dai Bendu meant that some of them had innate gifts of the Force that made them more powerful than Hyperion was already.

"If we get out of this diplomatically, then you will make your upgrades. But if it should come to violence and we suspect you had something to gain from it, you'd better have something really good you can offer to escape with your life," Hyperion warned as Menelaus made the climb toward the herds.

"Oh I got something you'll like if it comes to that, I promise. Even the Dai Bendu will have no idea what hit them if you wield my little gift. And it'd be good for you to have it even if it don't come to violence anyway, just because it's that awesome," Fabro promised. Hyperion doubted the little man could offer him anything of that sort, the Bimm species' enlightenment notwithstanding.

Along with the Bith, they were one of the first species to develop advanced technologies in the galaxy and remained one of the more educated cultures. And just like the larger bipedal pink-skinned aliens, Bimm were technically immortal as long as they weren't killed. It was entirely possible that Fabro was not only older than he looked but had been in service to the Republic even longer than he had said he did. For all Hyperion knew, he was there when the war with the Sith originally began or even when Revan led his vanguard, more than three hundred years ago.

Making his way to where his son was, his first job was to clear his thoughts of Fabro. His next job was to size up the herd and figure out the best way they could be moved.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

When Hyperion's thoughts were only on the beasts he was meant to drive away, he stroked his long beard in contemplation. Tantas and their more mammalian cousins, the Tauntauns, were not usually easy to scare in the best of circumstances. But if Hyperion had the resources to do so, he would've been able to imitate the natural predators of both, the wampa. However, his lack of technology meant he was going to have to find another way and the brand of a Talid owning the herd wasn't readily visible. Usually, there was a cloth satchel with the symbolisms of the people around the neck or under the stomach with configurations unique to each Talid who owned the herd.

For purposes of sparing the cloth they had, they typically made these special tapestries for placement upon the alpha male or female of the herd. Menelaus was having better luck, being able to weave his way under the perspective of the tantas even if they could smell him. Shrugging, Hyperion decided to wait until his son (who knew what Hyperion was looking for) emerged with anything to report. After a couple standard hours, he emerged with the detachable portion of a cloth tapestry. "I recognize this Talid, we did business with him two years ago," Menelaus said.

"What did we need that we did business with a Talid?" Hyperion asked. He was certain his foster son was right, he just wanted to be sure they were on the same level.

"He needed sirens with which to scare off the predators that were eating his herd and a weapon to deal with those who barreled onward. In return, he gave us fur coats and meat that lasted us for three months from his old and dying herd members. You weren't able to make him sirens so you made him flares meant to trigger whenever they got close," Menelaus said. _I remember the Talid of whom you speak, boy. Good work_ Hyperion thought as he looked at the cloth his son offered him.

"How do we find him?" he asked aloud.

"We won't need to if we can get the alpha male moving. He'll notice something off about the herd moving in the direction it is and come to us instead," Menelaus answered. Hyperion raised an eyebrow in inquiry and when Menelaus caught on, he continued. "His herd is moving in the area of greener pastures which is directly in the way of our friend's path. If we move the alpha male away from those pasture, the rest of the herd will follow, bringing out our old friend. Then you can explain the situation with the Bimm, he can get his bantha moving, and we get what we need from him," the boy explained.

"Why do you suppose the bantha won't move?" Hyperion asked.

"In all likelihood, because it smells the breath of the tantas even from the several dozen meters it's sitting at. Because of that, and the fact said breath is downwind, odds are its hoping the herd will lead it to fresh pastures where it can graze. Granted, in the care of the Bimm, it might not get much to eat even if he were to follow the herds but that's irrelevant," Menelaus said.

"You're quite the little zoologist, aren't you?" Hyperion asked.

"I did read those books you got me from the city when I was little. Come on Dad, there wasn't anything else to do when you wouldn't let me do the chores," Menelaus boldly answered with a chuckle. Hyperion laughed a little then reminded him he'd only restricted him from the outdoor chores back then and only because the indoor ones weren't usually finished. Then they got to work and decided that the first order of business was for Menelaus to retrace his steps and find the alpha male. From there, he was to lead him to Hyperion so that the herd could be led by the reins of the leader.

To Hyperion's surprise, the kid was able to subdue the alpha male without any effort then bring him over to his father. "How... how did you do that?" Hyperion asked. Menelaus shrugged and when Hyperion had the reins of the beast, the Zabrak elaborated on his reasoning for that answer.

"Whenever you went on the hunting trips to get us more food, I was left alone as you knew. I made a few animal friends who always disappeared when you were coming back. If I wanted company, I had only to think about it and they'd appear," Menelaus explained. _His gift... could the reason that I never noticed his power be because it wasn't dark or light but simply was?_ Hyperion asked himself silently. He thought about it hard enough for the little Zabrak boy to perceive it but he didn't ask about whether or not something was wrong. Hyperion shook his head and returned to the task of leading the herd to their original leader.

The herd followed as soon as they heard the chief call but not before the alpha male tanta tried to wrestle itself free from Hyperion's control. "He doesn't like you, does he?" Menelaus asked.

"Hey, you don't like me either, remember?" Hyperion teased. But in that moment, the reins nearly snapped but Hyperion was able to get additional lining to reinforce the ropes already there. Then he quickly handed the free bit to Menelaus who was already working on helping him subdue the alpha male and calm him down. The Zabrak boy then whispered a lullaby into the beast's ear, a short hymn that Hyperion recognized as Talid by native tongue. What the devil? Hyperion asked himself silently when the beast calmed down.

They then led the alpha male away from the pastures that made Fabro's bantha hold place. When they saw the Talid who fed the herd in the distance, Hyperion bowed to him in respect for the power he held in his tribe. "Welcome Hyperion, you have again saved my herd from the psychopathic Bimm who would have my herd killed if he could," said the Talid elder.

"Psychopath?" Menelaus asked.

"Remember that the Talids are pacifistic boy, any act of violence or forging weapons of war makes someone psychopathic. It's an admirable trait and serves them well here in the eternal winter of Ando Prime. When combined with their inherent connection to the Force, they have no reason to take up weaponry. The Dai Bendu will also protect the weaker specimens in any event," Hyperion explained. The Talid nodded but gestured for the reins of the tanta herd leader that he had raised himself.

"We also have men like you who are willing to fight our battles if it must be. But the Bimm is especially dangerous when compared to his people and even our own nature. He would've persuaded you to kill my herd for sport if it suited his purposes to do so. Or at least tried to be certain. Is there anything I can do to repay you?" asked the Elder.

"We're being chased down by Republic officers who've come to collect me for my military crimes. What's the best position we'll have of getting them off our backs long enough to get the ashes of the kid's mother to Dathomir," Hyperion answered.

"When the Bimm asks you what he can do to repay your kind deed, tell him to produce the Prison Ring. Stand firm by this, no matter what he says, until he relents and gives you the ring. Apart from it being a prize of his, it is the only way you will get the help you need from the Spectre of the Mountains. But do not mention that you have the Prison Ring, persuade her into thinking it was her own idea somehow. Once you have done so, have her use her power to conceal you in a veil of darkness during the night hours of Ando Prime where even thermal scans will not detect you," said the Talid.

"Sounds like you're trying to get rid of as many native pests as you can and rob the Bimm of one of his prized creations at the same time. What do you gain from it all?" asked Menelaus. Hyperion tapped his shoulder and squeezed slightly to remind him of his place as the youngest of the trio present.

"You are an astute young man. While I have no qualms with you and your father staying here, you're the only ones who are in any position to rid us of the specter. You're also the only ones in the position to save us from the Bimm's most advanced technology without the scrutiny of tribal customs. The Bimm is an ally of tribes unrelated to my own people but if he were killed by another neutral or else permanently rendered powerless, that would not result in feuding," said the Talid.

"Huh?" Menelaus asked.

"He means that if we were to take the Bimm's prized weapon from him or even kill him, the Talids do not starting quarreling about responsibility again. We have no allegiance to any tribe except a commercial one that extends to all tribes," Hyperion explained. The Elder Talid nodded and thanked Hyperion once again for the aid in bringing his herd back to him without killing any members. With that, they made their way back to where Fabro had been mere moments before though now, he had managed to cross the bridge with his bantha.

Hyperion and Menelaus noticed the fire where he had set up shop to make new forges within the walls of an abandoned cave. "By all the beautiful tits of this planet, you done did it!" the Bimm declared. _Vulgar and volatile by nature, it'd be a pleasure to remove such a one as him from the equation if he attacks us_ Hyperion promised himself quietly. Aloud, however, he merely produced his ax and then told him what the Talid had mentioned to him as well as the upgrades.

"The upgrades you have won't be necessary if you can give me the Prison Ring. Give it to me without cost and I'll consider us even," Hyperion said. To emphasize the point that he wouldn't accept anything else, he pointed the chopping end of the ax toward the smaller alien


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

"Wait, wait, wait, just tell me one thing. Tell me why you want the ring so badly?" asked the Bimm.

"The Talid said there was a specter in the mountains, a spirit who could help us hide from our pursuers if we could just harness the power of the ring to imprison it. I can't say I am an unquestioning believer but I will try anything to protect the boy," Hyperion said, keeping the ax pointed ahead.

"Fine, fine, fine! I know of the spectre you speak of, it commissioned me to forge a way it could be freed from the mountains," said Fabro.

"Then tell me everything, give me the upgrades you promised, and the ring then I'll let you live. Odds are you probably can't use the ring anyway, I don't sense the Force in you," Hyperion taunted.

"I don't need the Force to know what you are! Though I bet your boy does, doesn't he? Monster, I know who you are from your old life! I know of the exploits of Hyperion Algethii, rogue Darksider who killed without reason or purpose!" Fabro exclaimed. Hyperion snarled and readied the ax to lay the death blow upon his hapless foe for the mouth he showed.

"Don't you forget it, dwarf! You know my power in the Force means for you if you reach for any weapon!" Hyperion said, trying to rein his temper even as he was using it to coerce.

"Alright, I'll help you but for the upgrades, I'm going to need another favor. To be called in when I need it," Fabro said.

"Wouldn't you consider being allowed your life, however pathetic it is, favor enough? I'm letting you live to continue your forge in return for all that I have asked of you," Hyperion said.

"It's not that simple. In order to make the upgrades, I have to take every weapon in your armory that needs upgrading and melt it down. You'll be allowed your blasters and whip but that's about it while I have to make upgrades to all your bladed weapons. Your ax looks like it can't give off more than six hits to those Republic scumbags chasing after you and your spear will be lucky if it can penetrate the armor of even one soldier. Your knuckledusters also look like they'd be lucky if they can bruise the flesh of the Hutt," said the Bimm. Hyperion looked over his weapons and realized, with the aid of Force Sight, that Fabro wasn't wrong in what he said.

The ax, spear, and knives wouldn't last the journey unless they were upgraded to better ores. Menelaus's bow also looked like it would need better heads on them and Hyperion asked what could be done about that. "I can make phrik alloy arrowheads for him, they're apt to penetrate the standard issue armor of most Republic soldiers including some of the Special Division soldiers like Havoc Squad. I can also apply the phrik alloy to your spear so that it becomes lighter when you throw it and Mandalorian iron for sharpness of tip. The Mando iron will be good for flexibility on the ax as well and the cortosis I have can help maintain an edge on the bladed ends of the same weapon," Fabro explained.

"That sounds like a lot of work, very well I'll grant your addition favor but you are not allowed the luxury of calling it any time you wish. You either find something I can do to test the upgrades when they're made or we have no deal," Hyperion ordered. Fabro nodded grimly and gestured for Hyperion to place the weapons on the smelter machine that would heat them up enough to melt down the metal especially after Hyperion removed the ax handle. He even removed the sharp spike on the pommel of the ax for good measure. Menelaus also removed the heads of his arrows so that Fabro could melt all the metal and add fresher ore of the rarer metals he had.

Odds were that he would probably repurpose the durasteel that Hyperion had provided as a result for something in his forges. "It's a good design. I didn't expect a Sith Warrior to know how to make an ax from scratch or even a spear. You did good by yourself and the kid in doing this," Fabro explained.

"Menelaus, go watch the entry to the forge and make sure that the Republic hasn't caught on our trail yet. Keep a watch for the wild predators of Ando Prime and any of the other scum that you find as well. Take the night vision goggles and the alarm horn on the table over there in case you see anything I need to eliminate. Keep your blaster by your side in case you end up needing to fight anyone until I can get to you," Hyperion said. Menelaus nodded and decided to do as he asked and also gestured for a thermal detonator, asking silently if he could take it to which Hyperion nodded.

"What do you know of me?" Hyperion asked.

"That you're the reason I'm even alive to have this discussion right now. Remember the smuggler Clyde Rev?" asked Fabro. Hyperion nodded and when he said nothing else, the Bimm continued with his story. "When you and that Trandoshan warrior were captured, I'd already been caught because of my ingenuity with weapons used by the Republic and the Sith alike. He was willing to offer me a king's ransom in the beginning but he had coerced me into serving him when I refused on the grounds of already having more money than I knew I could spend in a lifetime.

"When you and that reptilian monster broke down that floating fortress you escaped from, I was able to make it to an escape pod before it self-destructed. Basically, I already owed you my life before we even met and would've likely given you the upgrades anyway," said Fabro.

"Then why make my son and I do your chores?" Hyperion demanded.

"To make sure it was you. I had my doubts but now I know better and I want to help you as best I can since I twice owe you. Throw your shield on the tray too and I'll give you something even better than it, speaking of which. Take your pick of mechanical arms to replace the one you've got: I know it ain't heavy from the way that you kicked that soldier's ass at your house. But it won't last you the journey with the kind of short circuiting I can tell it's done," Fabro replied.

Hyperion hated to admit it but the dwarven alien had a point about his arm. It was all he could do to even keep the fingers functioning so that he could grab things, sometimes. "What do you have?" Hyperion asked. Fabro gestured at the array of mechanical arms, likely repurposed from Sith Juggernaut droids and the like for medical service.

"I've got some so light that you won't feel a thing the way you would with your flesh and blood arm. They're the ones with the armor plating, especially the one with the scale plating on the shoulder and upper arms. That one I made with a phrik alloy core for lightness of weight and components where you can attach and detach projectiles, blades, and shields alike. It also comes with a spiked gauntlet so that you don't have to worry about whether or not punches from that arm will deliver: it's got cortosis on the gauntlet and Zillo Beast scales for durability," Fabro said.

"Zillo Beast scales?" Hyperion asked.

"Native to Malastare, their scales can't be cut by a lightsaber and has every bit of the lightness of you'd expect of normal reptile scales. Extracting it off dead cockers like the one I got those from is a bitch without considering what happens if you do it while they're alive. Shed scales are easiest to come by but the quality deteriorates over time so it's much better to get it off the beast when it's freshly dead," Fabro said.

"How?"

"Acid cutters between the scales, you target the soft flesh underneath and corrode enough of it that you can yank the scales off in one piece without triggering the shedding instinct. Pain in the ass because it's more expensive but mighty worth it if you can make something with it like I did," Fabro continued.

"What kinds of blades can I place upon it?" Hyperion asked.

"The kinds gladiators used to cut each other with their punches. You can also attach throwing knives and switch into shooting mode so that you send four knives flying straight for your foe before they've even reached you. Maintains accuracy that way over three-hundred yards and works almost as well with shurikens like the ones you got. Personally, I recommend using larger storage cavity for one of the collapsible spears I got then used the smaller one for your shurikens: this way you ain't ever truly short of weapons and you have room for bladed ones besides your ax or for more foodstuffs for your journey," Fabro said. Hyperion had to admit he was decently impressed with the array Fabro had and the recommendations he was making.

In his youth, he might have killed the Bimm and then taken everything for himself so that he never was at a loss for weapons. But seeing he was a different man now, he would call in the favors the Bimm said he owed him to take only what he needed. "What about the ring?" Hyperion asked.

"Only rule is that you wear it on your flesh and blood hand or else you can't use its power. The Force doesn't seem to like machinery when it comes to artifacts like the Prison Ring," Fabro answered. It made sense and in all, Hyperion was actually happy with the assortment for a change... something that rarely happened when he was on his own.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

When the dealings with the Bimm were finished, Hyperion had a new arm that housed its own blade and came with pommeling "stones" on the knuckles. So Hyperion traded in the durasteel and brass knuckles he had on him for a gauntlet made from the same materials as the mechanical arm. This way, they were equally effective if Hyperion needed to punch someone with the combined might of his physical strength and the augmentations of the Force. He also received an ax with one unexpected bonus upgrade within it. If he should ever throw it and have thermal detonators within the center cavity, he could launch the detonators to destroy two or more people within the vicinity of who or whatever the ax landed on when he threw it.

His spear was also improved so that it had similar cutting efficiency to a lightsaber with a heater that quickly brought the spearhead's core to red hot for that purpose. The knives he and his son would wield had the same design as their originals but had also been given light alloys with high-carbon alloys to keep an edge. Menelaus' arrows also came with phrik alloy cores and business edges of Mandalorian iron so that it could slice through most conventional armors. This meant they could save on blaster bolt ammunition for those enemies they couldn't otherwise defeat. Into his new mechanical arm, Hyperion placed the shurikens in the smaller cavity where he could then shoot them out by simply flicking his wrist after turning his knuckles to the ground.

On the top side was a blade he could either shoot out at high velocity for up to a hundred yards or wield like his kunckledusters depending on his preference. He could also attach a comlink to the dorsal side of his hand on that same arm. On the other side, the gauntlet he added came with options to either adopt bludgeoning stones on the knuckles or even small blades. He also made sure to load up on grenades, both thermal detonators and EMPs in case he encountered any tech that needed shutting down.

For himself and his son, he also obtained boots for which they traded their old ones with the upgrade providing a layer of cortosis on the toe so that their kicks could be lethal if needed. But Hyperion also had it acquired because he knew there was a chance of tripping over rocks where they were going or otherwise stubbing their toes. They also both had helmets they could use if they ever needed to ram their heads into someone, helmets that came with macrobinoculars and infrared as embedded options in the visors of the helmet. The night vision field they came with was also handy especially with the fact that Ando Prime sometimes got too cold to not keep moving. But Fabro had one last surprise for them, heaters and coolants in the armor that would help keep their core body temperatures from getting too low or too high.

Even with the need for more heat on a planet like Ando Prime, Hyperion could appreciate the jets of warmth that such suits could give when needed. He'd even worn one when he was performing a mercenary job for the Imperial Sith on Nar Shaddaa. Menelaus fell in love with his almost from the moment it was put on and with that, Hyperion found himself impressed he even had room for the Prison Ring. Once he and his Zabrak boy had everything they needed, including supplies in their backpacks, they began the journey again. "Watch your back out there! Since you kicked that white and red cocker's ass, the Republic's probably going to come back in bigger numbers. And with a Jedi or two in tow as well!" Fabro warned.

"Why would Jedi care for us?" Menelaus asked.

"The manner in which I defeated that trooper is normally impossible without the Force. Even with it, it takes years of training to attain that level of skill and on top of that, I wasn't a Jedi before the war ended. In the absence of the Imperial Sith, I'm among the few beings that can be the biggest threats to the reign of the Republic," Hyperion told his son.

"But why would that constitute you being captured or something similar? You weren't a criminal were you?" Menelaus asked.

"There's more to that story which I'll tell you when you're a tad older. But suffice it to say that I actually was one before I came here. In the wake of victory, the Jedi and the Republic want to round up every dissenter of my like that they can. It is the way of things when one side wins a war so thoroughly as the Jedi have done," Hyperion said.

"But you've been trapped here for over ten years, what you did in the past can't be all that bad. Can it?" Menelaus asked. At once, memories of his past came flooding back. The screams of Patricia when he raped her, the cries of outrage from his brother when she committed suicide, the crunch of bone breaking under his boots as he completed some of his missions for the Sith, the splatter of blood on stone and durasteel whenever he had killed someone. All at once, the sounds, visuals, and other sensations that were associated with such pictures threatened to overwhelm him and send him a blinding rage that would've likely resulted in Menelaus' death if he'd still been the man he once was.

"It's a tad more complicated than you think," Hyperion said, his eyes pleading with his foster son to drop the matter from there. Menelaus registered the signal for what it was and left it there until Hyperion could explain it to him without becoming overwhelmed by his emotions. After a moment, the older Human added, "We are leaving. The sun is in our favor and we will need that if we're going to make any serious miles before the cold."

"I think the Republic might be requesting more Special Forces to come for you two. If they do, your only chance is to get into the mountains before they find you. Hit the cave network and entrench yourself in it as long as you dare then live off the land when you have to return. They'll give up the search after about a few months or so," Fabro said. _Why did I half expect you suggest I end it quickly and turn myself in?_ Hyperion thought quietly.

"That was already the plan, dwarf. But thank you for your concern and what will you do if they come to your shop?" he asked aloud.

"Well, for starters, I'd ask them if you're really afraid of doing to them what you did to that Twi'lek and explain that was a warning to leave you alone or get the biggest ass kicking, this side of the Tingel Arm. Hey, if anyone can give it to them then it's you. If they grill me further, they're gonna have to get a Jedi to extract info and that usually doesn't go well for them," Fabro explained.

"Why not?" Hyperion snarled.

"Because I learned that if you keep a few images of your creations killing people while you're jaggin' off, most Jedi learn to leave your mind alone. Not that I've actually done that but it pains a lovely picture of someone who don't like to be probed," Fabro said. Hyperion groaned audibly at the remark of the images then thanked him for all he had done. "It's nothing, just repaying a life debt," Fabro replied.

"You saved his life, Dad?" Menelaus asked.

"Unknowingly," Hyperion admitted, glumly. Then after a moment, he added, "We're leaving, boy. Thank you for everything, Fabro." The Bimm bowed but beyond that showed no reaction to Hyperion's remarks as he returned to his forges.

"It's a good thing we stopped by and got all this free stuff, isn't it Dad?" Menelaus asked.

"Nothing is ever truly free. But if you mean we acquired this without charge then you're correct: it'll be useful against the Republic troops. I even found us some upgrades for the shield: collapsible and durable now thanks to the metals he used in reforging it. They're the strongest the market can buy," Hyperion said.

"And the whip?" asked Menelaus.

"Now that you mention that, I found one with chain link fibers for lightsaber resistance and a hook made from the same material found in the Felucian skullblade. This way the Jedi can only bash it away from them without actually being able to destroy it or the whip. Still does everything I need it to do, that noted," Hyperion answered. Menelaus grinned and when they began the journey began, there was a moment of silence as they took in the smell of new forges they had on their person.

"What do we have in the way of supplies?" Menelaus inquired.

"Nutrition bars with enough nutrition in each to last me a week and you two, since you're smaller, for starters. I also got a couple thousand of them so that if we need to hunt for meat, we can get by during the hunting. The bars aren't known for tasting good but thankfully they're not bad either: they basically have no taste," Hyperion told him.

"I knew I'd want meat anyway," Menelaus retorted. Hyperion chuckled at the remark, having raised his son on the meat of those tantas the Talids had disposed of due to old age. They were careful not to pick those that were diseased in case cooking wouldn't purify the meat. In addition, they also took care of the meat from any female who died in the process of giving birth as well as the fetuses if they were dead. The Talids didn't approve of meat eating in their own society but they didn't mind Humanoids like Hyperion and Menelaus taking what they could carry every now and again.

In exchange for fighting battles for them, allowing them to remain pacifistic, they were welcomed to whatever supplies they needed provided it didn't run interference with their lives. Since becoming stranded, Hyperion learned (and taught Menelaus) how to appease the Talids and obtain the bounties of the planet. This was no different though a Bimm had helped them this time. "We'll have need of it yet, my boy," he simply admitted to Menelaus' remark about meat.

 **A/N: Happy Independence Day to my fans in the US. Be safe wherever you are and have yourselves a nice holiday. For my fans all over the world, hope you've been enjoying this so far and I promise more is coming. Arrivedaci for today!**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

"It isn't like them to flee," Polydeuces hissed. Inoy had been enjoying a moment of contemplation, concerning how and where to direct their conduct towards Hyperion's capture. Already, the fact Hyperion had beaten the Havoc Squad's best martial artist half to death with minimal effort then retreated was already in keeping with what he remembered of him. Their journeys through Nar Shaddaa when he was a wandering Padawan were still as fresh on his mind as if they happened yesterday.

"Pardon?" asked Llimetch. Polydeuces, the younger of the two of them and more inexperienced had been pacing and mumbling to himself quietly.

"It's not like those who claim affinity to the Dark Side to flee! The Sith Master Octavian and I fought against always stood their ground. Brother or no, this one's a coward," Polydeuces snapped.

"Wrong, this one's a survivor. He's counting on the fear, intimidation, and surprise he instilled into Havor Squad with his martial skills to hold over long enough to vanish. It's the kind of tactics he used when he and I traversed the inner slums of Nar Shaddaa on a journey of mutual survival. I clung to him and his partner Seth then provided intel wherever I could find it about how best we were to move. Seth wasn't the big brains of the two of them but he was better suited to brawling than even Hyperion was... Weequays are like that with their tougher skin," Inoy said.

"But he's got the prowess to beat us all, if his pulverization of one of our officers serves as indication. Why would he want to flee when he could wipe us out?" Polydeuces asked.

"We're on _his_ world and he knows it. The only chance he stands of protecting himself, his property, and that kid is if he disappears to where he alone commands the edge. I hope I'm wrong about him brainwashing that kid but even if I am, they'll be convinced we mean to kill them. That Havoc Squad soldier didn't exactly do a good job of being polite about why he'd come," Inoy said.

"What? Was he supposed to say, 'Hi Hyperion, I'm with Havoc Squad. I'm here to arrest you for your crimes during the war with the Sith so would you kindly turn around and offer your hands for me to cuff? Thank you!' Was he supposed to be formal in a galaxy that doesn't tolerate war criminals?" Polydeuces asked.

The way he phrased it made the older Nautolan Jedi chuckle before he explained himself. "No, maybe not but there are better ways he could've gone about it then just waltzing up with a gun. Now Hyperion's guard is up and since he's not exactly in his prime, he knows that if he can stack the playing field as high in his favor as he possibly can, he can repel us. He does have the Force, in fact I'd still wager that even after all these years it'd still take the both of us working together to bring him down... maybe even throw your Master in there for extra credit. Regardless, Hyperion is no fool and he knows when he'd be outmatched if he faced us out in the open," Inoy said.

He remembered his days when he was impetuous as this human before him, remembered when the universe seemed full of possibility, life, and happiness. Experience, not excluding his travels with Hyperion and Seth, had taught him otherwise of course. "So what do you suggest we do?" Polydeuces asked.

"I suggest we call for some local help, see if we can find out if Hyperion has made an enemy or two among the Talids or the others who live here. If so, we can use that to our advantage: they know the land better than we do and know the best ways we can box him in. Even if we succeed in that, capturing him won't be any small feat in of itself and he'll want to know that the kid will be spared if my suspicions about his relationship are correct," Inoy said.

"Of course it won't be a small task to bring him in but it'll be much more fun," Polydeuces said.

"Your enjoyment of conflict is not the Jedi way. And it's most certain as hell not the way Dantius trained you. I know that because I was the one who persuaded him to take up a Padawan learner. I'm the reason you aren't in the Agricultural Corps right now, kid," Inoy told him. Inoy didn't understand why he was referring to Polydeuces as a "kid" when he himself was twenty-five years of age.

As far as he could figure, it was possible it was because he was chosen to be Dantius' Padawan learner at seven and had stayed with him for ten years before undergoing the Trials. Polydeuces wasn't even eighteen years of age when he first became a Knight and already, Inoy was seeing signs that may have been a mistake. Not because Dantius was a bad teacher, quite the contrary: Inoy had himself picked up some of his first lightsaber tips from him. But rather because the Sith that Polydeuces faced down were already broken and defeated.

They had no morale left with which to continue to persevere and their deaths had served only to boost an ego that war had a habit of curtailing at its height. There was no one in the hotheaded Knight's recent experience that was quite the measure of Hyperion in skill and tenacity. Among those that Polydeuces had destroyed, skilled though they were, there was also no one with Hyperion's experience in killing both Light and Dark Side users despite leaning one way himself. Hyperion had killed enough Jedi to know how to deal with the likes of Polydeuces with ease while the reverse could not be said of young Polydeuces.

"So what do we do when we have our local guides?" Polydeuces asked after a moment had passed.

"We encourage them to box him in through the top twenty most likely paths he can use to escape out the mountains. If possible, we get the full strength of any tribes they belong to so we can cut him off at more paths than that. We make it impossible for anything to go in or out without so much as one of our sentries seeing then we wait. Even if he's packed ten million nutrition bars, his supplies won't last forever and he'll have to come out. If he's anything like the Dark Siders we've fought, the impatience will get to him long before we have to worry about that," Inoy said. And with that plan in mind, they set in motion what they hoped would result in a quick and peaceful capture of the two.

"And if he is more patient than the typical Sith?" Polydeuces asked.

"Even if he is, that kid isn't. Not yet, anyway... Sooner or later the boy will want out of the mountains and likely sooner than Hyperion will. We use that to draw out Hyperion and then we'll have them both so long as Hyperion doesn't whip out a lightsaber. If he can still wield one the way I remember he did then Havoc Squad doesn't stand a chance," Inoy explained.

"Just how do you know him, anyway?" asked Polydeuces.

"Remember the Confederacy?" Inoy asked. Polydeuces thought about the name for a moment, the Confederacy having been an attempted third faction that gave voice to those systems caught between the Sith and the Jedi. It accepted defectors from both sides and its Force-sensitives attempted to emulate the code of balance proscribed by the ancient Je'daii of Tython. But infraction amongst the Force-sensitives, combined with lack of resources led to the Confederacy's dissolution before it gained significant traction. Polydeuces was easily old enough to have known of it if he were attentive to political climate in its day, which it seemed he was.

"Dantius found his way into the ranks, in fact he became the right hand man to one of the original leaders of the Grey Order the Confederacy had attempted to start up. But his master directed him back to the Jedi when he foresaw the failure of the Order. I went about searching for him or anyone I'd known in the Vornu temple after it fell and bumped into Hyperion on Oba Diah. Imagine my surprise when a trained Sith was willing to save my life after I'd been captured by the crime boss there. I was going to be given over to an Inquisitor for interrogation as a result of coming out of Vornu when Hyperion came for me," Inoy explained.

"A Dark Side wielder saving the life of a Jedi Padawan? I don't get it," Polydeuces admitted.

"To your credit, most who wield the Dark Side wouldn't have given a second thought to letting the wolves consume me. But Hyperion had been questioning his life and the goals with which he pursued living because his life had been based around revenge against Dantius. The longer he lived without that goal, the more he began to question whether his life had any value. He gave me an amulet that he'd kept from childhood as the last shred of humanity he had left so that he could surrender himself to his revenge. One of the few keepsakes I've hidden from the Council all this time and will likely keep hidden from even Dantius to the day I die," Inoy said.

"Unless I tell him," Polydeuces replied, Inoy glaring him down in the moments after that statement. Polydeuces chuckled it off, assuring him that he was just joking about telling Dantius about the amulet. The fact that Dantius had even waited to tell Polydeuces anything in all the eleven years they'd know one another was unsettling enough without Polydeuces adding anything else onto his plate.

"I think I know just the local we're going to reach. Unfortunately, he hasn't been seen in some time and when he was seen, he served criminal aims by making weapons the Republic couldn't counter," Inoy said. He hated the fact he had to even think about encountering the Bimm blacksmith and engineer once again, much less making him talk about Hyperion. But it seemed like the great Fabro, a fugitive he had been looking for anyway, was going to be yet another capture for the great Inoy Llimetch.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Some days passed in relative silence as Hyperion and Menelaus continued their way to the cavern of the specter. About a day or so earlier, they'd seen a Republic ship land at the forge of Fabro and then fly off in the direction of the cave they were headed to. Hyperion and Menelaus quickly ducked into the open cavity of a tree at one point in order to avoid the night vision lights whilst the ship went on ahead. "How do they know we're headed for the specter?" Menelaus asked.

"If Fabro was captured and then persuaded to talk for a reduced sentence, they know the cavern to the specter and maybe even how we intended to capture the Specter. But there's something familiar about a presence on the ship, a presence I haven't felt since... since..." Hyperion replied. Could it be that someone he had once known was on board that ship, en route to try and stop him from continuing his journey? As he and his son edged closer to the mountain where the cave of the specter dwelled, the presence grew stronger. At once, Hyperion knew it was someone from his past but he also knew it was more powerful than it'd been when he last met.

He and his son climbed the mountain from an angle where he hoped the specter's dark presence would camouflage his arrival and that if his child. "Who comes into my house of pain, seeking knowledge that only I would give?" said a voice at once ethereal yet audible. It sounded like it swung between the realms of the living and the dead with Menelaus unable to understand what was going on. Before the Zabrak boy could ask, Hyperion told him to be quiet in case the Jedi responded to the specter's demand.

"One who would seek knowledge on the being called Hyperion and his boy Menelaus. The Bimm said that they would be coming to your cave before he tried to attack us. When we were forced to destroy his shop, he agreed to come quietly with Havoc Squad to serve his sentence for the crimes he committed against the Republic," said a voice he could tell was Human.

"I am Jedi Knight Inoy Llimetch of the Dantooine Order. With Polydeuces, I have come on behalf of his former Master Dantius Octavian to capture Hyperion. Can you tell us where he is, if you know?" said another voice. _Impossible! How could Inoy have found me after all these years and why would he come onto Ando Prime: it can't be healthy for the likes of him_ Hyperion silently chided to himself.

The last time he'd ever seen the Nautolan, Inoy had been a fourteen-year-old Padawan of the Jedi Order who hadn't even found a steady Master to train him until Knight Tethys came. By then, Hyperion had torn off his mechanical arm of the time to free himself from the rubble of the destruction Tethy's old rival Lord Ishido had caused. Hyperion had never thought he would see the Nautolan again, much less that he would be a Jedi Knight when their paths crossed again in this life.

"How do you know that Hyperion travels with a child, eh? Did the Bimm truly say that Hyperion had a child in his company or did he have a horned Bimm with him?" the specter teased.

"Signs pointed to the child being just that and Bimm don't have horns. Now tell us what we have come to know!" Polydeuces exclaimed.

"You Jedi have already done your worst to me. Millennia before, you cast me from my home and disembodied me, tying me to this cave with the promise that I'd only come begin to come back when innocents were murdered. So take thine threats, take thine questions, take thine concerns about the one called Hyperion and leave me to my devices," said the specter. _What reason does the specter have for not cooperating with the Jedi? What horror could they have committed against her that would make her so rebellious?_ Hyperion asked himself silently.

He watched a human emerge first, who he guessed was the younger and more impulsive Jedi Knight. Then a bulkier but taller and older Nautolan stepped forth through the entry and Hyperion knew there was no mistaking it. Flashbacks of the times in Nar Shaddaa, where the kid had then wielded a lightfoil whilst Seth al Ugolio had wielded a shoto and lightsaber, both with blood-red blades, and he had wielded a single red blade. _My, my, my_ Hyperion thought, _how you have grown into the robes of the Jedi._

He was almost detected when Inoy turned and looked to the peak of the mountain, probably thinking that he sensed Hyperion's presence. When he didn't pursue the matter or even activate his lightsaber, Hyperion guessed by the footsteps that he was walking away from the cave. Poking his head back over the cliffside after he couldn't hear anything, his suspicion was confirmed which allowed him and his son to jump down to the entrance and see the specter.

"Ah the very topic of discussion has arrived to speak with me. The bald human and his Zabrak child, how can I help you?" said the spirit.

"You can start by telling me why you turned the Jedi away even knowing where we were. Menelaus, make sure they've left please," Hyperion said, pausing until Menelaus nodded and left. Then he turned his attention back to the specter and waited for it to answer his question about the Jedi.

"Many millennia ago, I was a part of the First Great Schism in the Jedi Order. I sided with Xendor and his consort Arden Lyn, offering my power so that they could get around when the Republic denied them ships. My magic gave them the power to form their Legions and find their own ships to take the fight to the Republic and their beloved Jedi Order. When the war was over and the Legions of Lettow had lost, I was cursed to live an existence of ageless discorporation in this cave with the promise that I'd only begin to reform when the blood of innocents was spilled by a Jedi or a Republic soldier," the specter said.

"And I'm guessing that happened or else you wouldn't be manifesting a face before me," Hyperion said. The specter nodded and added the next part which probably explained the reason for Hyperion possessing his ring.

"Now I am to linger until the day the Prison Ring, capable of imprisoning specters like myself and carrying them great distances, is found and used on me! Imagine my irritation when these Jedi came to ask their questions of me," the specter replied. Hyperion nodded, more than understanding the suffering that the Jedi had tended to cause on those who had a difference of opinion on their views of the Force. He himself was victim to that on more than one occasion when he was a galaxy-faring assassin for hire.

It was one of the main reasons that he killed Jedi was precisely because they tried to resolve his difference of opinion on the Force through violence. "I have the Prison Ring. Shall I bind you to it?" Hyperion offered. The specter grew excited at the prospect of finally being free of her prison but hesitated. When Hyperion made to ask her what she was hesitating about, she spoke her mind.

"In case you can't resurrect me, there is something you need know. The longer you hold the secrets of your true nature from the boy, the more damage you'll do when he finds out. He will resent you and you could lose him forever," the specter warned.

"There is much I wouldn't have him know if I could avoid it. He needs not know the kind of monster I once was when I was a young man. Not while he is still as innocent as he is," Hyperion admitted to her.

"So you value your privacy and your secrecy over your own child? Doesn't seem like very much of a way of life for the two of you," said the specter. Hyperion groaned with a bit of a razzle to it before replying that he was going to imprison her spirit in the ring now. Having learned the incantation before Fabro gave him the ring, he thought it and used the Force to echo it across to the specter via telepathy. It worked and the spirit was soon imprisoned, every single ounce of dark energy in the cave disappearing as soon as it was with exception noted to the deaths and torture that occurred here.

Menelaus was back just in time to see that Hyperion had completely absorbed the spirit into the ring and was ready to go. "The Jedi are nowhere to be found, I did see the ship flying over the mountains though and it looks like they're going to cover the whole range. Probably would be a good idea to stay in here until well after they've left our field of vision," he told his foster father.

"Then we will give it a few days before we decide whether to stay or to get a move on to the other side of the mountain range. We'll see what we can do about making a turnaround towards the nearest town once we've escaped the mountains. Come, get comfortable in this cave while I look around," Hyperion said. Menelaus obeyed and even orated his excitement at being able to not worry about whether they were going to travel or stay. If only for a little while.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Two weeks passed before Hyperion and Menelaus truly needed to get a move on but the latter had decided to get on the road about three days after absorbing the specter. Aside from wanting to surprise Inoy and the other Jedi by being gone, it was also going to be a long walk across open fields where the gunship would hold advantage. The closer to town they were by the time that Inoy figured out that he and the others had been duped, the more likely they'd have to land the gunship in order to have a chance of effectively stopping the duo. To make time, the two resolved to travel in all the coldest hours and rest only during the warmest parts of the day. That gave them sixteen standard hours of travel time and eight in which they could set up camp, rest out of the wind, then travel again through the open fields.

Since the warmest hours were also the most windy, it made sense not to travel during them and instead move when the breeze was steadier. Plus, the friction of their movement (thanks to the planet's gravitational field) would allow them to regulate their own temperature. Menelaus, lacking a connection to the Force, needed more layers where Hyperion could use Force Temperance to keep no more than a light jacket on at all times. He also dropped it long enough to use Force Sight to make sure they were headed on the right path. Sure enough, two weeks of this brought them fairly close to the nearest town by the time there was any sign of the gunship coming.

On the bright side, the city that they were approaching the capital city of Ando Prime known as Elesa. It had a spaceport and it also had a safe that Hyperion had made payments for to last a lifetime on almost every remaining credit he'd had. Inside was his old armor and lightsaber which he'd hidden away about a year or so into his stay on Ando Prime, hoping he would never have to use any of them again. Even so, he had a lifetime guarantee to get his credits refunded if he ever changed his mind about using those items from his old life. Of course, the fact he'd shown up with unmarked credits meant that he might have been suspected of treason at the time.

Now, however, unmarked was the only form of currency besides Republic credits and thus not unusual to find. It was also a universal currency that could be marked for Republic use if need be. More important than that, it was generally marked only for the amount you intended to use during your stay in Republic space. They could also be marked with the local stamp of any planetary system outside the Republic that had any kind of advancement. Of course, Hyperion had always kept a trust fund that he could use to travel offworld if he ever needed to.

Give or take, he reckoned he had several hundred thousand credits in that fund now in addition to the payment he made on the safe for his old armor and lightsaber. He also had a few connections he could call upon whenever he needed to, especially on occasions like this. Most fortunate of all was the fact that even with a slight increase of several thousand visiting as a result of the Podraces, Elesa had never really changed since Hyperion first came. Even several of the people remained as hardy and loose-tongued as they ever did even if he doubted he'd be recognized by very many of them.

Aside from his connections, he probably appeared to be a long-bearded, scruffy, middle-aged nerfherder with a Zabrak son. Weaving his way through the mild traffic in the city, he came to a restaurant where Menelaus would be able to eat to his heart's delight while Hyperion discussed business with the owner. "Welcome to the restaurant, what can I get for you?" asked the first waiter to greet them.

"Get me your boss, tell him Code Red is asking for a blood sundae," Hyperion answered. The waiter shrugged and opened a door beside the grill which allowed him to visit the restaurant's inner workings. Within moments, a small and filthy looking Bothan emerged from the room to see if it was truly possible that Hyperion had returned.

"Well I'll be a son of a bantha! It's you... shit, you managed to get uglier too!" said the little man.

"And you've gotten fatter in my absence, Tyro. Tell me, you still think your farts count as a fragrance the ladies like? It'd explain why I saw a tauntaun out back," Hyperion retorted right back. Tyro's belly was sucked in and out so strongly that Hyperion knew he'd looked like he lost and gained thirty pounds with each laugh.

"You still got it after all these years. And you got a kid with you too! You teaching him to be every bit the badass you are?" Tyro asked.

"Only when I can get him awake long enough. I need a favor of you, old friend," Hyperion said.

"Now you know favors cost a bit of money, old buddy. Can't make no exception even for good pals like you," Tyro said.

"Save it, I haven't used my trust fund savings in eleven years. And I had a thousand unmarked credits in there when I came here. Besides, the favor I wanna ask isn't much: I need a fast, dependable ship with fuel to hit Dathomir and come back without the Republic's scrutiny. I think some old demons have finally caught up with me," Hyperion told him. Tyro looked around, making sure no customers were nearby to hear what he was going to say next.

"Why don't you and your kid step in my office? He can take his food in with him, don't worry," Tyro offered quickly.

"No way, last time I went back there I ended up spending a week cleaning out my clothes for eight hours a day. You find us a table or something similar and speak out here otherwise you speak here and now," Hyperion snapped. Tyro snickered then leaned in close before speaking to Hyperion about the ships he had.

"I tell you, I got a Corvette that just came in. Cleaner than a Human baby's butthole, never even been in it. Unblemished as a holy girl's pussy, you want it? I want ten thousand up front: your trust fund's probably yielded a hundred times that much since you left here all this time," Tyro said. Corvette ships, in his defense, were usually a little more expensive and Dathomir was quite a ways away.

It wasn't an unreasonable price but Hyperion couldn't be sure he wanted to pay it just yet. "Let me check my trust fund if you have a clean datapad to spare and I'll let you know if that price works. Come on, it's not like I'm gonna whip out a weapon while I'm looking for the trust fund information!" Hyperion replied. Tyro nodded and offered him one for use that was clean enough to use: admittedly, Hyperion's fingers were tainted with soot from years of fires as well.

As he checked his trust fund, he realized he nearly had half a million credits in reserve, making a ten thousand credit payment such as this seem like child's play. So Hyperion went ahead and made an offer that he couldn't refuse as far as the credits went. "I'll give you triple that offer in case I accidentally get the ship destroyed or something similar. Forty thousand if I can keep it for my own use, later on: I've got plenty more where that came from and it's likely to remain in pristine condition for longer with me than you anyway," Hyperion offered. Tyro leapt at the deal at once and offered to shake a hand but Hyperion pranked him at the last moment by yanking his hand and stroking his beard with it.

"You still got it after all this time, the little man is learning from the best with that attitude. Glad to meet you, mister..." Tyro said.

"Sparky, I was named that because I liked to play with fire when I was a toddler. Pop figured it easier to do that," Menelaus said, lying about his name. Tyro laughed it off with a wave and went to order the ship be ready for Hyperion and Menelaus to use. When they were far enough away, Hyperion began to lay into his son for what he had said about himself.

"Why did you give him a false name? He was a contact of mine that's always come through!" Hyperion whispered with a growl.

"Simple, if you die and I should escape, your killers will be looking for 'Sparky' instead of 'Menelaus'. Or any other alias I'd use with anyone else, relax pop. I'm just abiding by what you taught me," Menelaus said, fistbumping his father's forearm. _Now that he mentions it, I did teach him that... clever boy!_ Hyperion thought silently.

"Good job, you remembered what we talked of before with names. But he is a trusted contact, I've used the Sight to see that in every encounter," Hyperion told him. They arrived to their ship, moments later and it was indeed a truly beautiful thing that seemed Alderaanian in design. Or else it was based of Alderaanian ships but either way, it'd have more than enough room for their supply needs. While Menelaus explored the ship, his first ever, Hyperion stashed their supplies in the hull and looked over the cockpit.

It was the first time he ever piloted a ship since he was originally dumped on Ando Prime then left for dead by the Jedi. Briefly, he swiped a finger over the controls realizing how he had been in his element whenever he'd flown among the stars. And even as he listened to the tutoring holograms, he briefly considered reacquiring his old armor and lightsaber, his more forbidden items. But he shook his head, vowing their legacy would die with him if anything happened on the way to Dathomir. The journey would be long regardless but he didn't think it would be so dangerous that he would need his old artifacts.

And even if he did, he knew better than to believe he would use them ever again. If he was to do this, he was going to do this as a man for Menelaus' sake. Not as the monster he had once been for the sake of those whose voices rose up now. And silenced when the ship launched.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Inoy had to hand it to Hyperion, even after eleven years of inactivity as a Sith, he could still be deceitful even to a Jedi. "He can't be anywhere in the mountain range and there's no trace of the specter's presence! Whatever happened to that cold-ass bitch, it's connected to why we haven't found Hyperion or his kid!" Polydeuces fumed.

"There is no emotion, there is peace. Never forget that oh hot-tempered companion of mine. Besides, I told you before that Hyperion knew the land and warned you that he would be a crafty old dog. If he can avoid fighting us, he will: he knows that we two Jedi and Havoc Squad combined would outmatch him on our own terms so he'll keep running until we walk onto his. Whenever a good strategist is in doubt about his enemy's prowess, he always lures them into an area where he has experience defeating his enemies, like in the war," Inoy said.

It felt odd to be barely twenty-five and coaching a Jedi only and advising a Jedi only six years his junior to calm down. Even so, Polydeuces was the type who probably should have remained under Dantius' tutelage a little while longer than he did. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had such a prideful disposition about destroying Sith Lords or former Sith Warriors like Hyperion. "Polydeuces, I myself am only twenty-five going on twenty-six years of age, you're five years my junior, and Hyperion is more than ten years my senior. He's been dodging Jedi and local authorities alike probably for longer than either one of us has been alive. We should expect someone of superior experience avoiding capture than our experience catching, young man," Inoy told him.

"I just don't understand why he would make such a big deal out of going to the mountains and then turn back when we were on the other side of the range. Did he see us coming before we knew he was there, how could he have known?" Polydeuces asked. It was a legitimate question for sure and was one that Inoy had been pondering as his Human counterpart though more quietly. _Unless Hyperion wanted only to make us believe he was headed to the mountains which makes sense. And if the specter knowingly helped him, it makes all the more sense that he would fool us so_ Inoy thought silently.

"It's possible that the specter knew he was arriving when we interrogated her. She said the things she said in a deliberate attempt to deflect our attention away from Hyperion. This way, he could somehow collect her for his usage and then go from there. It's not impossible, especially since that spirit had reason to believe that we Jedi somehow wronged her," he said aloud.

"You don't actually believe that witch, do you!?" Polydeuces asked.

"No but we can't rule out the possibility that she was right to blame us. Much as I hate to admit it, the Jedi have made more enemies than they've destroyed in their quest for justice and peace. And that always give breeding grounds for Dark Side users like her and the Sith Empire to rise in. Or else their numbers wouldn't come back so resoundingly as they always do when we've faced them," Inoy answered.

"Like who? If I may ask?" Polydeuces asked. _This man really hasn't really seen too much outside of the galaxy and wherever he was deployed with Dantius for combat against the Sith, huh? Can't say I am surprised, he came into Dantius' life the same moment that the Sith were weakened by the battles with the Zakuul Empire and the Eternal Alliance. The Republic came out of it strong enough to fight the Sith down but only barely_ Inoy silently mused.

"Well, for one thing, there are still business tycoons such as the former smuggler Clyde Rev. The Hutt Cartel and Black Sun are also an ever-present threat to the peace and stability that the Jedi have worked hard to create for the Republic. Much as I hate being the one to say it, I agree with Dantius that the way we handled the Sith's destruction has created a Hydra with too many heads to be readily vanquished. The only way we can slay it for certain now is remove the financial incentive for corporations and stockbrokers to conduct criminal activity with strong laws that can be policed by common security as well as Jedi. But that isn't the point: what is the point is that we should expect to be tricked a few times before we get Hyperion's pattern or else it wouldn't be a chase," Inoy told him.

"You care about him, don't you? Still holding a torch from the time he saved your life in Nar Shaddaa, all those years ago huh?" Polydeuces demanded.

"If there's a way I could repay the debt without it coming to conflict with my duty as a Jedi Knight then I most certainly would try to save him. But no, I learned what kind of man he was when he led us to safety from various crime syndicates like the Pykes and even Black Sun. The leader of the Pykes even put a bounty on the three of us and that's why we worked together to survive in the streets of Hutt Space. You don't come out of a scrap with that man without learning a few things about the demeanor of the man that you can use later. Plus, I was the only one to get any good to come up to the surface for Hyperion during our time... Seth began to think I'd made him go soft," Inoy said.

As their ship approached Elesa, Inoy was called to the front of the ship. When he arrived, he noticed a ship taking off that wasn't officially registered to the Republic or with any organization that could be immediately recognized. Worse still, playing back a recording of the transmission revealed what sounded like the voice of Hyperion, confirmed by him saying he was a Human male on a field trip out of Ando Prime with his son. The hologram had shown a Zabrak boy which matched the pair to a tee as far as appearance went and Inoy knew at once that they needed to stop the ship. Inoy ordered the pilot to step on it and he ordered a gunner to begin firing shots in order to bring him down but unfortunately, the ship had too much of a headstart on them.

So Inoy made the next order and demanded that ion shots be launched to try and get the ship grounded before it could take to hyperspace. That noted, however, the shot missed and landed harmlessly on a rooftop. Its potency had been long dissolved by the time it had arrived so no one was affected by it. Fortunate too, as the shot would've landed on the city power plant and knocked out power for all if it had any ability to affect the electricity. A dogfight then ensued with shots firing back and forth between Hyperion's ship and Inoy's gunship.

But when they broke atmosphere, Hyperion's ships locked in coordinates for the first of many stops to its destination and jumped to lightspeed. Adding to the misfortune was the fact that Inoy's pilot didn't get a lock on the coordinates before it took off. Now, Inoy and his team were back where they were when they started this search for Hyperion and his child. They had no idea where they would be in the galaxy and no idea of how to attain hold of them again. "Great! We've lost them!" Polydeuces shouted.

"Yes, we have but we've learned something here. Hyperion has something to gain from leaving that compelled him to take shots at us. We know what the specter looks like so it's a matter of plugging those details into the Jedi Archives to see if we have any matches there. If we can find out how the specter came to Ando Prime, how it could be released, and what Hyperion would have to gain from it, we'll have an idea of where he's going next. Plus, we're the ones in the better position to beat him there or anywhere else he might go with our ship when we find out," Inoy explained.

"So we're just gonna quit, go back to the Temple and read the Archives? We may as well give him victory in this instance and report the mission a failure," Polydeuces said.

"You can if you want, you're not coming with me even if I find something out. If this trip has taught me anything about you it's that you're too quick to temper, you are rash, and will become insubordinate and out of control if you're kept on this. I see no choice but to recommend you being demoted back to Padawan learner status and being kept with Dantius for the next little while so you can learn some manners," the Nautolan snapped back.

"So you're gonna take him by yourself? You'll die!" Polydeuces said. _There's a reason we have operatives on the outside and it's precisely for scenarios like this. Do not fear for my safety_ Inoy thought.

Aloud, he said, "I have a better chance of coaxing Hyperion out of hiding if I come alone with Havoc Squad there to make sure he doesn't escape then I would having just you around. You're a skilled lightsaber hand, no one denies that but you are still mentally unprepared for the kind of strategy and patience it will take to beat Hyperion. Despite your sword arm, you have none of those things. But I know people who have a good sword arm _and_ the qualities I need for this mission. I will say no more on this matter than I already have, we're headed to Dantooine and I will be doing the research I need."

The hyperspace trip back to Dantooine didn't take as long as wherever Hyperion was going. _I've got a bad feeling about this. Let us hope the will of the Force keeps us all alive until I can get to the bottom of this dilemma with Hyperion and Polydeuces_ Inoy thought to himself silently. The plunge into lightspeed didn't take more than a simple lurch but the ship would have to make a stop at a nearby Republic system in order to make the rest of the way home. It simply wouldn't have the fuel for the kind of long trip back to Dantooine and there was a cruiser there with a shuttle to take them back anyway. A shuttle ride back to the Temple might give time for Polydeuces to cool down while Havoc Squad waited to resume the mission to capture or destroy Hyperion with renewed vigor.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Was that fire from the dudes pursuing us, Dad?" Menelaus asked when they made the leap into hyperspace. Hyperion nodded, letting go of the controls for a moment and relaxing in his chair before he did so. He let the currents of blue fire swallow his view of pretty much everything except when Menelaus was talking.

"They pursue me because I had quite the rap sheet when I was young. Do you remember the Sith I taught you about?" Hyperion asked. Menelaus nodded and then made mention of what he had been taught by Hyperion about them.

"You told me about how they had a lot of empires throughout history. Naga Sadow, Exar Kun, and Darth Revan were a few of the Sith lords who commanded vast legions. You told me that the Sith rewarded strength and inwardly thinking, promoting self-preservation and elevation so that the strong rule and the weak serve. But you also mentioned that because of this, empires of Sith tended to implode once they got big enough and all the Jedi had to do was survive until then and pick up the pieces after the Sith were done with one another," Menelaus said.

"And what did I tell you would be a good way to tell the difference between them if you don't remember anything else?" he asked.

"Their robes and the color of their lightsabers. Jedi sport a white tunic and mostly brown cloaks while the Sith tend to favor grey armor and black cloaks. While the Jedi tend to have green, blue, and sometimes yellow blades, the Sith almost exclusively wield red," Menelaus answered.

"And their codes?" Hyperion continued.

"You told me about how the Jedi would try compassion and lifting up the weak in the hopes that the weakest links in the chain of life could become pretty strong. On the other hand, the Sith believed in a natural order where only the strongest survived and the weakest were meant to serve throughout the rest of their lives. But you also noted how you disagreed with the Jedi having a hive-minded approach to their rules and the Sith being too self-indulgent to stand united," Menelaus explained.

"I tell you these things..." Hyperion said, heaving a heavy sigh before continue. "Because I once was trained by a Sith Lord. Not one who joined the Empire, having foreseen its doom long before the Empire fell. He was known to the Empire as Lord Crassus who found me when I wasn't much younger than you. As his eldest grandson, I was introduced to the tenets of the Dark Side before I was even ten years of age and given missions until I was nineteen.

"From there, I pursued revenge against my brother Dantius when he incarcerated me for crimes I committed against him and those closest to him. I spent nearly another ten years there before I escaped and pursued him before finding my way to Ando Prime. After I failed to kill him and another Jedi in the cave of the specter, I lost my way until I found you. When I decided to adopt you, I vowed to live as a man but the truth is that I was destined to be so much more and now so are you." Menelaus took in everything that Hyperion said, realizing that he had been raised by a killer for nearly all his life.

"Why do you say nothing, Menelaus?" Hyperion asked. The boy seemed to be swimming in thought before he could even muster enough courage to speak. Muster enough courage to find out the truth of how he came to be in the care of a former Sith Warrior.

"Did you... did you kill my mother?" he asked, understandably embittered by his foster father's confession.

"No, she was already dying when I found her. But you were very much alive and at her behest, I was eventually persuaded to take you in. I... I almost left you to die with her but I knew that if I was to find a better way, perhaps to absolve myself of my sins, I couldn't do that. Not when I'd already produced one daughter by forcing myself on a woman my brother loved and then failed to be there for her even as her aunt pursued me across the stars for vengeance. Obviously, she never found us or else you and I wouldn't be having this conversation right now," Hyperion confessed.

"I... I think I'll be needing some time to take this in, Dad. I mean... I knew you were different, you weren't exactly Jedi or Talid material but you always did try to teach me restraint. Whenever I asked you why you were trying to teach me self-defense killing, you would tell me about how I'd become a demon for killing in pleasure. Now, I think I understand why: because you were a killer and you know how it feels to kill for pleasure. Can I... can I take a walk around?" Menelaus asked.

Hyperion nodded, not begrudging his foster son if he never wanted to speak to him again. Frankly, he wouldn't begrudge him if he wanted to remain silent throughout the rest of the journey to Dathomir to disperse his mother's ashes. He watched the controls, watched the distance between the ship and the first stop on their journey continue to diminish ever so slowly. "Dad!?" Menelaus shouted from across the way.

"What is it, boy?" Hyperion asked.

"There's a big grey box with black stripes across the sides and the lid. I could've sworn it wasn't here before and there's a comlink on top of it! Should I open it?" Menelaus asked. Hyperion knew of only one box that matched the description and rose from his chair so fast that he almost hit his head on the starboard above.

"Don't touch that, boy! Stay away from it!" Hyperion shouted. He finally found his son in the supply room and sure enough, he saw the box which had been stored in his safe for eleven years. Pushing Menelaus away, he carefully took the comlink and decided to ask his son for some privacy. He added that this box represented something he'd swore he'd leave in the past when he bought the safe.

Menelaus was respectful of this wish, perhaps realizing how much strength it had taken Hyperion to confess that he'd been trained as a Sith warrior. "What the kriff is this box doing here? Tyro, he must be involved," Hyperion growled, thinking aloud when the boy was gone.

 _That was a dangerous move, revealing that you are Sith. Are you sure the boy was ready for it?_ interjected a strange female voice. It took Hyperion a moment but when he flipped the ring over to see the green jewel on it, he noticed it was shimmering to indicate the specter of the mountains speaking to him. When he figured this out, he relaxed a little and then started by replying to her statement.

 _Our children will never be fully ready for such revelations. The best we can do is hope they're ready enough when we tell them and I_ was _Sith_ Hyperion replied, correcting her. She laughed briefly, a sinister sound in his head as she whispered back the answer to his comment about having been Sith.

 _Once you start down the dark path, it will forever dominate your destiny. You've been trained as Sith and that is what you'll always be. The best you can do is control yourself in the face of the flaws presented in the teachings of the Sith or let them control you. If your friend Tyro is responsible for bringing this box aboard the ship, it would appear he knew as much too_ the specter told him. Hyperion looked over the box and looked at the comlink in his hand, contemplating what to do.

Figuring there was nothing else that could be done, he activated it to hear what could be said. "Hey big guy, we had a good run huh?" Tyro began. So the snake reveals himself Hyperion thought silently.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I wasn't legally supposed to have access to this stuff but I was able to buy off the consciences of the guys down at the saferooms. Anyway, I had a peek inside this baby and I gotta tell ya... the galaxy's changed, buddy. You'd be making a big mistake to take my ship without having this baby on reserve plus something tells me you ain't gonna be coming back for a little while anyway. So I had the boys haul the contents of your safe onto the ship while you and your boy were stocking up some supplies. And hey, if you ever come back, my throat's free for you to slice open if I was wrong, later man!" Tyro said.

The transmission ended thereafter, Hyperion enraged enough to smash the device with his mechanical hand when it was over. _See? Even the little man knew that wherever you went, your past would always follow you. The best you can do is embrace who you were without becoming it once more for your son's sake as well as your own. I know it's not simple but as I once was a mother, nothing is simple when it is your child_ the specter told him.

"The contents of this box are staying but under no circumstances am I opening it again. I'll die before I put on that armor and use that... weapon, ever again!" Hyperion vowed aloud.

 _And let your child die before you embrace what you were? Let the implications of what you have just said hang for a bit the specter_ warned him. But Hyperion didn't let it hang nor did he have the chance if he had wanted to: Menelaus came to announce the first stop on their journey to Dathomir would be coming up in a standard hour. Mon Gazza was the first stop before entering the Corellian Run, a major trade route that cut a swath across the entire galaxy. But they would need to reach the intersection leading to the Hydian Way, according to a galaxy map. And their journey was being noted by more vengeful eyes than the Jedi or the Imperial Sith ever had.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

Fifteen years... It'd been nearly fifteen years since Clyde Rev lost an important floating fortress of his, hundreds of millions invested in its construction. And that bald Sith Hyperion had been responsible for it and releasing his Trandoshan archnemesis from his kriffing cell. Still, Clyde Rev had been working on a discovery that had not been lost to him at the time, one that revolutionized the way he was going to make credits. Before he'd captured Hyperion and lost a fortune on him, he'd been working up a legitimate enterprise that he could operate when the war was over as a facade. The Clyde Rev the public now knew was the CEO of a medical technology firm that was on the cutting edge of medical research for all species.

Any and all discoveries were approved with patents to go with the inventors as well as made to benefit everyone they benefited for little to no cost at all. Clyde had made the billions he needed to recover and pursue his true passion: skinning and torturing things to provide data for those revolutionary discoveries behind closed doors. Corrupt customs officials and private investigators could be made to turn an eye to what they saw for the right price. Clyde was also careful to hide as much evidence as possible even if the occasional rumor was allowed to spread. After all, his old life as a smuggler meant that he didn't want his former criminal connections thinking his wealth had made him go soft.

Such had been the case when his Trandoshan foe Drak was paid a five million credit bounty to remove Clyde from the picture. Apart from the fact that he'd be fulfilling his long held desire for revenge in the process, Drak had zealously jumped at the chance to make a fortune. But Clyde had come ready, realizing that Drak wouldn't relent and killing him would be a waste of a perfectly good Force-sensitive Trandoshan. Tired of the old game of hunter and hunted, with the two of them alternating between roles, Clyde lured him into a setting where the Trandoshan would believe him vulnerable. Then he had electric nets ensnare the beast and take him back to the second floating fortress and selectively lobotomized him for one simple purpose.

He wanted to keep Drak's skills with the Force and with a blade without his abilities of free enterprise. Keeping him sedated long enough to discover the parts of the Trandoshan brain which would accomplish this, Clyde then produced an experimental parasite designed to feed on specific parts of the brains of specific species then dislodge itself. In return for the meal, it provided a secretion that emitted a strong sedative aroma and made for an even stronger anesthetic that doctors across the galaxy were now using for a variety of species. For legal and financial reasons, Clyde had diluted the effects of the anesthetic so that patients wouldn't experience the semi-permanent subordination that Drak did now.

But aside from that, the breakthrough had been revolutionary and made the company billions more. _And_ he got a wanted criminal out of it before the Imperial Sith were destroyed, which would have ensured that the lizard man was a goner if he hadn't acted. For good measure, he also gave him a worm that erased elements of his memory so that his grudge against Clyde was wiped away in aphasia along with his origins on Trandosha and his honor code. In return, Clyde had allowed him to keep the instinct to hunt and feed on his prey along with the skills that allowed him to do this successfully when Clyde bade him to perform a mission. But there was one type of parasite that he prized above else, one that allowed him to make decent credits with the Hutt cartel especially once Drak started rounding up stray Wookiees.

Normally, he didn't like to even think about these creations since they were usually a tad sadistic in their work even for him. But there were some days, like when he thought about the Sith warrior Hyperion who had escaped him. He still had the file on Hyperion's abilities in the Force, still had knowledge that Hyperion had been missing for eleven years. That said, something in his twisted heart told him that Hyperion wasn't dead... men like that, men like him, didn't simply die. So when one of his spies reported seeing a bearded man that otherwise matched Hyperion's description with a Zabrak child of eleven or twelve years in tow, he was elated.

He didn't consider himself a very vengeful man but he did like the idea of tying up all loose ends from his past. And Hyperion was nothing if he wasn't a dangerous loose end that needed to be tied up before anyone got word of his involvement with Clyde. The only unsettling detail about the encounter was that Hyperion didn't even have his lightsaber, in fact it seemed he'd traded that in for a blaster pistol and a collapsible shield. Had Hyperion somehow turned self-righteous and chosen a path where he foreswore the Dark Side? If so, it meant that Clyde would need to perform just a little more work in order to make him snap once more.

"They asked about heading to Dathomir and what planet would be their next stop in order to complete the journey. Of course, my boy at information told them to head for Denon in order then fill their tank as full as possible before continuing on their way to Dathomir," said his informant. Clyde Rev couldn't understand what Hyperion could want in visiting Dathomir after all these years... Was it possible he was returning there after being assigned to protect the boy? If so, it made sense since the Sith were rumored to have retreated to Dathomir, Korriban, and Ziost among other worlds after losing Dromund Kaas, Honoghr, and Nogatan to name a few major ones.

It would also explain the bag of ashes that the boy bore in tow with him and it could explain why Hyperion had the blasters. As a cover for his true nature as a Sith warrior that could wield a lightsaber with deadly accuracy if he needed to. "You done good boy, send the images to our contacts and tell them to catch the boy. Leave Hyperion alive if you can with a message to come find him over Bandomeer if he values his life. Oh and make sure you're a decent distance from his ship before you attack if you can, I want him to have a sporting chance in rescuing the kid if he cares... if he doesn't then we know the Sith warrior in him is back," Clyde said.

The informant nodded and stated that he was transmitting the images and Clyde's instructions to their Denon contacts as they spoke. Clyde then transmitted the worth he assigned the info to the kid's account and cut transmission so that he could begin planning his revenge. Hyperion had cost him dearly and if he cared about this boy he had in his tow, Clyde was going to make sure to return the favor before he tied up that loose end. And he had the perfect trap too, a way to remind Hyperion of what he'd done to Clyde even as he tried to rescue the kid.

And if he somehow emerged victorious from it all, he and the boy were free to continue the journey to Dathomir which wouldn't be far away. Clyde wanted to be the last obstacle they overcame if they emerged victorious in their journey, the last before the Sith if they were still alive and enemies of Hyperion. The cries of a Wookiee called his attention away from his thoughts but only enough that he might get up and see his favorite beasts at work. Though his favorite creations could thrive in either light or dark, he decided to leave the lights off for now then show the boy what they could do when he arrived.

The Wookiee had been an exceptional nuisance and had even tried to kill Clyde in order to get his kind free, nearly succeeding too. So Clyde also had the members of his little chain gang with special goggles so that only _they_ could see what was happening to their leader. Their friend to the bitter end which Clyde had to give his respect to, even lowering his hat to his heart in a mark of sarcastic salutation to the fur brain. When the handlers finally managed to poke him enough times to get him over the edge of the plank he was to walk, Clyde drank in the cries of the thug.

Not long after, he heard the hiss of his babies finding their target and the gurgled cries of the Wookiee as they began their deed. Unfortunately for the chain gang and its leader, Clyde's babies finding their meal was the only thing that was quick about the ordeal. Otherwise, they took their sweet time throughout, keeping their hapless victim alive until they couldn't find anything more to eat out of his innards. Clyde knew it was over, even while thinking about how the boy could be their next meal if Hyperion decided to simply abandon him from the experience of repetition. When he heard the snap-snap of what made them his prized creation doing their job for him, he knew it was over.

"Collect the pelt and get the inside part cleaned up. I got a Chiss prince who wants that within the smallest amount of time possible and he's paid a pretty price for pelts. This one, I'll let him keep as a gift so that the friends of this poor fur-brained bastard know that I only care about the part where they make me more money. And the part where they make me money is the part where I feed them to my babies down there," Clyde said. He knew his orders would be obeyed to the letter: apart from the fact his clients never knew how he got them, he also knew they wouldn't have cared as long as the quality kept being fantastic.

At least, the Hutts and other species of similar sadism wouldn't but something told Clyde they'd have to be hush-hush with the Chiss prince. Even so, he couldn't complain when he was essentially persuading the prince to keep his mouth shut in exchange for a free high-quality pelt to go with the ones he paid for. Meanwhile, Clyde was planning on the most gruesome way he was going to get back at Hyperion, a way he could enjoy tying up the loose end he represented while tying it. Something that surpassed even his babies in the pit as far as slow, painful deaths went and thus beyond any ability of the Sith warrior to enjoy even if he was masochistic. Once his spies confirmed their arrival on Denon, he'd go to Bandomeer and contemplate more extensively.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

At the same time that Clyde Rev was preparing to make his move against Hyperion, Inoy had done some research into the specter that wasn't good. Apparently, when she was alive, she was an enchantress who had by the side of the couple known as Arden Lyn and Xendor in the First Great Schism. Some said she had lived for centuries before she even met them and had helped forge the infamous Kashi Mer Talisman. But when the Jedi had routed the Legions of Lettow, they did something worse to the enchantress than they had done to Arden or Xendor.

While Xendor was killed in the waning days of the great war and Arden was placed in a morichro trance by Awdrysta Pina, the enchantress had been pinned down at Ando Prime. There, her spirit was ripped from her body in a rare and barbaric ritual that tied her conscious essence to something that naturally occurred in nature like a rock or salt. The specter had been tied to every icicle in the cave so that when one broke, she was put through constant pain. Then her sentience was disbursed to the elements of the Force, cursed to never reunite until innocent blood had been spilled by a Republic soldier and a Jedi's tortured cries had echoed across the cave. Worse still, the Jedi proceeded to wipe out her family in similar or crueler fashion, assuming they hadn't already killed its members on the field of battle against the Legions as some believed.

When the Republic operative called Claudia Elesion, Dantius' in-law by his cousin Christopher, killed several defecting scientists in the cave it had completed the first part. But when Hyperion had brought Dantius and Coventry to the cave to torture them, sensing the dark essence in the place, he'd completed the other half. Therefore, the fact the specter had lost everything to the Jedi including her freedom to cross over to the land of the dead meant she would naturally despise the spiritual descendants of the ones who did it. It would also mean she'd be much obliged to Hyperion for taking her in the Prison Ring, the only thing that could free her from her containment according to the information about her curse. What he wasn't sure Hyperion would know, however, was that the way to free her for certain was to disburse the ashes of someone who'd passed away and as one did so bestow a name upon her.

Even if he did, it was unlikely that the boy's mother had known about the ring or the specter and with good reason according to research he did on the last battles of the Sith. Apparently, there had been a refugee ship filled with fleeing citizens of the Sith Empire, looking for a better life in the Republic. Among them were the former concubines of Dark Lords or their non Force-sensitive children and the records indicated only one Iridonian Zabrak with an infant. The refugee ship had unfortunately been bombarded by an Imperial Dreadnaught, determined to either bring them back to the fold by force or bring down the ship.

A Republic battlecruiser had intercepted with three hammerheads in its company to bring the battle to the Dreadnaught. Unfortunately for the refugee ship, the Sith had already hit its stabilizers and destroyed its core engine, sending it plummeting to the surface of Ando Prime. A Jedi Knight named Ashlynn Thorin, a former lover of Dantius at the Vornu temple, had been there and led the mission. When it failed to save the ship, she asked a rescue crew to head down as soon as the Dreadnaught was taken care of, fearing its Sith crew would fire on them otherwise. By the time they arrived however, almost everyone was dead or dying and the Zabrak woman's infant was nowhere to be found.

The mission was a failure and it had been assumed that the infant was picked up by predators when its crying had lured them to the crash along with the scent of meat. But could it be that Hyperion had found this infant, found out his name was Menelaus, and raised him? If so, what became of the mother's body after the crash? More important, how had Ashlynn not recognized or sensed Hyperion's presence, having fought against him on her homeworld of Lorrd? Perhaps she had not been paying attention when she was extracting valuables such as the ship manifesto and the detailed description of each passenger that had come with?

At any rate, Inoy had his information that he needed and was able to fill in the blanks. Hyperion had cremated the body of the boy's mother, raised him as his own for eleven years, and had felt the time had come to fulfill her will and disburse her ashes on Dathomir. The Havoc Squad's Twi'lek soldier and the arrival of their Jedi leaders (then, himself and Polydeuces) had merely forced his hand in that opinion. And odds were that Hyperion was probably on the lookout for the boy's real father in case he could leave him with the man who helped produce him.

After all, whether Inoy was right that Hyperion had some good left in him or not, he was still a Republic fugitive while the kid wasn't. Menelaus would've probably been cleared off as a captive and given a slap on the wrist at the most. Stockholm Syndrome had been a legitimate thing in many a captive of the Sith and the Eternal Alliance alike. Therefore, Menelaus' case would be just another case of shock and trauma, however young he started. And reports were coming in that a man matching Hyperion's description was seen leaving Mon Gazza with a young Zabrak child, consistent with the path he'd expected the Sith to take.

His only regret was that he'd overshot his old ally on his way back to Dantooine in a manner that could look deliberate. Still, Inoy needed the information so that he could better understand Hyperion's position and felt confident that he did. Now, it was just a simple matter of informing the Jedi Sentinels stationed at Denon to be on the lookout for him and hold him down until Inoy could get there. That and giving the slip to Polydeuces before he was ever the wiser on the matter of the mission, lest he never hear the end of it from the Council. Granted, he was already in a bit of an entanglement with the Council for even considering leaving Polydeuces or ordering him to stand down and would be in a worse one even if he gave the Human the slip.

But it was more strategically sound to leave him behind until Inoy could get to the bottom of what Hyperion was doing out and about in the galaxy again then arrest him diplomatically. So he had no choice but to call in the Echani twins, the "Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas". Aptly named for the fact that they had each killed more Sith lords, warriors, apprentices, and other saber wielders on Dromund Kaas than any other Jedi Knight, Padawan, or Master present. One was slightly bigger than the other and the bigger one preferred to wield the traditional blue blade of the Order's Guardian class (of which Inoy could proclaim membership) while the smaller but bulkier brother preferred the yellow-bladed saberstaff more typical of the Sentinel class. Plus, something told them that they were itching to fight another Dark Side user no matter the appearance of retirement that Hyperion seemed to put on.

Armed with this new knowledge, Inoy was ready to reinvigorate his search for his old ally and bring about his capture. Unfortunately, it meant he had to conceal his signature when he was about to approach an otherwise oblivious Polydeuces who was talking with Dantius. The older Human saw Inoy with a mere movement of his eyes and understood at once the situation when he caught his friend's wearied look. "Polydeuces, when Inoy gives you a command, act like it is me doing it! He's the most impartial of us all and will be able to render the most tactically sound decision when dealing with my brother," Dantius told his former Padawan.

"If he's so tactical, why did Hyperion give us the slip back on Ando Prime then let us overshoot him on Mon Gazza? Doesn't seem like strategic brilliance to me there, Master Octavian!" Polydeuces snapped.

"Because he felt it wise to sit it out until he could attain the necessary information to perform the mission more successfully. You were a hindrance to that success when he made the decision and until you learn to control yourself, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with him," Dantius told him.

"Who's he going to get to help him then if not me?" Polydeuces countered.

"Whoever he can across the stars, whether or not that means bumping into the more unsavory members of our Order. There are plenty of other Sentinels in the galaxy who can perform our operations just as well or better than us," Dantius calmly said. _And I already regret deciding on the two I've got in mind_ Inoy silently admitted. He was just barely about to be out of earshot when he heard Polydeuces call to him, demanding he slow down. But he pretended not to hear even as he boarded the Havoc Squad's gunship and told them to proceed without Polydeuces.

"I've already called ahead to two Sentinel brothers on Denon. Force willing, they'll keep Hyperion pinned until we can capture or bring him in, whether or not that means sacrificing their lives to the endeavor. Polydeuces is still too raw and these guys are the Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas, which should give you an idea of why we're leaving him," Inoy told Jorgen.

"The Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas, huh? I've heard about them, legendary Jedi twins who were said to have single-handedly taken the battle to more of the remaining Sith than any other Jedi or Republic soldier on the field that day. They're legendary heroes for the Republic whether Eternal Alliance survivors would agree with that or not," Arc Jorgen agreed. Both knew that their skills with a lightsaber would be more handy in this situation than Polydeuces' would be.

Plus, their experience with subduing and killing Darksiders was nigh unprecedented for the war era that Inoy had been raised into. They were also not as impulsive, despite being in their early thirties, nor as prone to making youthful mistakes as Polydeuces. It was Inoy's singular hope that they spared Hyperion until the Nautolan could question him, even if they fought him beforehand.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Hyperion and Menelaus arrived within the next two standard weeks or so of leaving Mon Gazza. Arriving in Denon, Hyperion wasn't surprised to see that it hadn't changed much in the years since he last went through. When corruption was rampant, change was slow to come and the longer people were accustomed to corruption, the longer it'd take to extinguish it. It was deep in Republic Space but it didn't mean that customs officials couldn't be bought off for the right price or police officers made to look the other way.

Police droids were particularly vulnerable to EMPs though they usually had a sentient companion who told them to steer clear of matters where they'd been bribed into ignoring conflict. Still, Hyperion sensed there was something different about this place... more comforting, more virtuous than the Denon he remembered. Was it possible that there was a Jedi foothold at long last in this place? If so, it explained the presence of the Light Side of the Force here and why Hyperion felt a little more at ease here than in previous trips to Denon. But he had to remind himself and his son that they were only here for fuel and supplies, nothing more.

But for good measure, Hyperion brought his ax, shield, blaster pistol, and knuckleduster for his left hand. This way, he could give off the impression to any Jedi who fought them that if he could destroy one without his lightsaber, he could easily take the fight to them with it. He and his son were looking for supplies when the older Human sensed two unfamiliar but very dangerous presences stalking them. "You alright?" Menelaus asked, likely reading the expression on his face that he learned was a sign of danger.

 _Specter, can you grant invisibility to the holder of the ring? I need to hide my son from the Jedi in case I don't manage to escape_ Hyperion asked telepathically.

 _I can grant him invisibility from ordinary people until the Jedi spot you and challenge you. Once that happens, you two are your own unless you were willing to let me bring my full power to bear on them_ the specter said.

 _If I said yes, what would that look like? As long as you are in the ring, you are sworn to honesty by he who holds it_ Hyperion replied.

 _Nothing much, just consuming the souls of the Jedi for my luncheon and taking possession of the ordinaries long enough to draw off the psychic energy of their violence. Until I'm satiated enough to be completely resurrected and allowed to bring about the destruction of this world_ the specter explained.

 _Then I'm not using you like that unless I have no other choice. Make my son invisible if I give this ring over to him and nothing else_ Hyperion ordered.

 _You're no fun_ she mocked.

 _And you are too destructive_ he snapped. Then he took off the ring, knowing he was going to be having enough problems with the Jedi on their tail. Menelaus obeyed his father's request and put on the Prison Ring, the specter delivering on her end to make him invisible to all (hopefully including the Jedi) except for Hyperion. They weaved through the crowd as best they could with someone still bumping into Menelaus on occasion. Unfortunately, paying for the supplies to be delivered to their ship turned out to be the easy part: getting back to the ship was going to be even more difficult as the Echani twins Hyperion noticed had finally caught up.

"You," said one who was taller but noticeably lankier than the other. As he spoke, he unclipped a lightsaber of traditional design and prepared to use it, showing off the blaster pistol at his side as per his Sentinel training. This meant that if Hyperion did well enough against him, he might be persuaded to use a blaster pistol where Inoy would've at least possessed the honor to face his defeat. Hyperion would have to avoid giving him the kind of time necessary to use it

"Menelaus, get out of here," Hyperion ordered promptly. But before Menelaus could escape, the invisibility cloak came undone which revealed his presence to the other Jedi. This stockier but shorter Echani had jumped in front of where Menelaus might have been able to escape, igniting both ends of a saberstaff whose blades were also yellow in nature.

"Well, well, what have we here? A Zabrak boy with a blaster fighting beside an old man with an ax and the stink of the Dark Side. Whatever are we to do, brother?" asked the second one. Brothers... their movements are going to be more harmonious than if they were mere friends, something to watch for Hyperion thought, preparing for the confrontation.

"I'll only ask you this once: surrender in the name of the Republic. You can be sure the courts will want you executed quickly and quietly if you come," said the first one. Hyperion merely stared them both down, Menelaus rallying behind him as the Echani with the saberstaff rallied to his brother. The Zabrak child quickly gave him the ring back and he quietly put it on his left hand even as he snarled at the two disgraces for Jedi and made his reply.

"No, a man never surrenders to dogs," he said simply. The first brother chuckled slightly and ignited his yellow blade, a fighter's glee visible in the shine of his eyes.

"Good, we like fighters," he said as he assumed a stance where his hilt was in line with his stomach. The blade was pointed up, revealing that he wielded a combination of strength and dexterity, already betraying a predominant presence of forms IV and V in one sitting. His guess was that the brother with the traditional blade would rely on somersaults and flips fused with power strikes and the one with the saberstaff would rely on straightforward charges with rapid twirls and arcs of his weapon. Therefore, the best way to defeat them would be to neutralize the saberstaff advantage of reach with close power chops and wide sweeping arcs whilst keeping the one with the traditional blade at bay with the shield and the occasional pistol shots.

 _Menelaus, shoot at the one with the single blade when I give the word. Your shots won't make home but they'll trip him up long enough for us to divide and conquer them_ Hyperion whispered telepathically. Menelaus looked at him when he spoke in his mind and nodded the affirmation that he understood what needed to be done even as the Jedi implied their suspicion as to that plan in what they said next. "We haven't had a good fight since we earned our name at Dromund Kaas. Want to take the little one, Agni?" asked the one with the saberstaff.

"No Rudra, we'll take him when we've killed this human. Then we'll let him pay the price for his father's crimes in accordance with Republic law," said the one called Rudra. Hyperion knew in that moment that the Republic wasn't short on corrupt officials or corrupt Jedi in those words. Then they fought, Hyperion implementing his strategy though being careful not to let the brothers understand what was going on even as Hyperion gave signals for Menelaus to shoot Agni. This continued for the better portion of about ten minutes of continuous exchange, the three Force-sensitives being nigh imperceptible even with Hyperion's eleven-year hiatus from fighting Jedi.

Then Hyperion surprised the brother called Agni by unholstering his pistol fast enough to actually land a shot into his shoulder. As he completed this move, he landed a one-handed overhead strike on the shaft of Rudra's saberstaff hilt. Slicing it in half and neutralizing the advantage of reach the blade had had in permanence, Hyperion sensed a waft of fear from Agni himself. Jar'Kai was a style he knew but it wasn't one he had as much training in which made it apparent that his brother was the one who tended to deal with traditional single blades. So while Agni nursed his shoulder wound, and took a thigh shot from Menelaus, Hyperion charged down the helpless brother.

He used the smaller blade to disarm him of his left hand's half of his former saberstaff then raised the ax to strike overhead when he got closer. Rudra attempted to slice him in half at the waist with what Hyperion supposed might have passed for a Makashi sweeping strike if he had any skill but this was easily counter by raising the shield. Defenseless and unable to save himself, Rudra waited for the head blow that came with enough force to send shards of skull into his brain and flatten his nose, killing him instantly by nearly completely slicing his head in two. "Rudra!" his brother called, "No!"

Hyperion made for him next, speckles of the dead Echani's blood staining his face, hand, and chest from killing Rudra. "You have no idea what you..." Agni made to say. But Hyperion was now moving toward him with a blood lust that they both knew would only be quenched with the death of Agnit.

"Please try your best, Agni. My ax is still thirsty from the blood of your brother," Hyperion growled. But Agni only retreated, having only managed to successfully mend the blaster shot to his thigh and his shoulder still recovering. Then Menelaus unloaded shots into him from his own blaster though these were easily deflected by the veteran Jedi. He retreated before Hyperion even had a chance to chop him to pieces but both of them soon found themselves under blaster fire from an unidentified source.

Menelaus wisely rallied to his foster father while Agni began to retreat to another angle, hoping to return to finish the healing then resume the fight against Hyperion. But with so many hired guns pointed their way, Hyperion finding out by the casualty with which he was being hampered with blaster fire, it was unlikely the duel would be allowed to continue. Not when Hyperion recognized the banner of Clyde Rev, someone he hoped never to hear from again, on one of the mercenary leaders who was coordinating the attack on the older Human and the Echani Jedi. "Let the Jedi go," he said after a moment, "it's the Zabrak we want!"


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

Before Hyperion had even known what happened, explosives with powerful enough shockwaves to throw him off his feet and knock him cold had thrown him like a rag doll. When he awoke, his ax was still by his side but his shield was fried and useless even if it hadn't broken into seven pieces. Granted, he was blessed with a spare in the ship itself but that had been irrelevant: what was relevant was that Menelaus was gone. His blaster and other weapons were left behind where he had likely put up a valiant struggle before being captured.

That noted, the most puzzling thing of all weren't the scars of the explosives in the form of the patches of soot and ash. It wasn't the presence of dead bodies from among Clyde Rev's mercenaries or even the body of the Jedi Hyperion had killed. Instead, it was the apparition he knew didn't belong amidst the carnage, didn't even belong in the land of the living. It was about six feet and five inches tall, with elaborate ancient armor as could be indicated by the gauntlets. The face was covered by a helmet whose visor was open for the eyes to be perceivable but there was a peg in the middle of an otherwise perfect T-shaped visor.

Protecting his jaw bone were two blade like flaps which extended from his helmet and a purple hood atop the helmet to hide the details along with a draping cloak. The thick cape covered his back from shoulders to ankle, making him look even more imposing. At his belt was what looked like a broadsword but Hyperion recognized enough of the other details to know the scabbard was a dummy, hiding a lightsaber whose hilt looked like a sword's. The eyes were the only thing that weren't as purple as Hyperion had remembered the cloak being. But even they had the characteristic Sith orange-yellow combination that confirmed the transparent specter's identity.

At once, memories of Hyperion holding his first lightsaber as a child came flooding back. Memories of the moments when he'd been up against fully automated combat droids intent on killing him with the poison-tipped training blades they possessed. Even the moments where this specter's corporeal form had reprimanded him for exhibiting compassion and remorse, calling him weak for possessing such characteristics. "Grandpa Crassus," Hyperion whispered with a growl. The acknowledgement caused more memories, this time of the deeds he'd done on missions for his grandfather's ambitions and even his initiation in the form of helping Crassus killed Hyperion's own father and mother.

He still remembered Crassus' dark red blade cutting his father into three pieces with no more than two strikes and gutting his mother like a prized fish. All before retrieving Hyperion, supposedly leaving Dantius to die, and torturing Hyperion into submission when he was nine. "I was your King before your cousin was born," Crassus had once said, "now I am your master, your guide in the doctrine of the Dark Side!" Now all Hyperion could do was look on the man who'd conceived, then killed, Hyperion's father with little more than disgust.

"Get out of my head, old man," Hyperion added after a brief moment. The specter disappeared but Hyperion knew he'd be back, the old man always was when Hyperion was battling his past between accepting Menelaus and beginning this journey. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky as Hyperion limped back to the ship even as that seemed to be the worst of his injuries, thanks to the shield. Before he really marched, however, he found a recorder that he assumed was a message from Clyde since it was addressed to him. He recovered it with the Force and activated it in order that he may see what it was Clyde had to offer.

"Hello Hyperion, almost didn't recognize you with that beard you grew. Anyway, your boy is alive and well but that's not the point. Here's the deal: upon opening this recording, you have three standard month to reach Bandomeer and see my new floating estate. Once you arrive, the challenge is simple: beat all my best guns and reach me at the ship chambers then you and your son get to go to Dathomir scot free. Fail and you both not only die but you also help me test out the interspecies compatibility of a wonderful creation I've got. By the way, I'll know when you've opened this: this recorder is traced to my comlink so that it can alert me when you've seen this transmission... remember, three months and then I find out what make your kid so special unless I 'accidentally' kill him first," Clyde said.

It was him alright and the kind of thing that he would propose if he was looking to get revenge on Hyperion for costing him his last floating fortress. But when he arrived to his ship, destroying Clyde's recorded transmission before continuing on his journey to the ship. However, just as he was arriving to the ship in preparation for what was to come, he saw the last person he wanted to see waiting for him. "Inoy?" asked Hyperion. The Nautolan nodded, revealing himself by stepping from the shadows that had previously hid him from Hyperion's sight.

"Where's the boy? Something tells me you wouldn't abandon him in the ship and he's not with you now," Inoy asked. Hyperion shook his head no and explained what had happened with Clyde capturing Menelaus and issuing his challenge. When Hyperion finished, it was clear that Inoy was clearly conflicted: on the one hand, he was bound by duty to take in Hyperion. But on the other, his code forbade allowing an innocent to be left in the hands of criminals like Clyde Rev.

"I will let you go on a single condition: when you go to Bandomeer, see what you can do about releasing every last dirty detail on Clyde's enterprises to open transmissions. Republic officials will work on finding the transmissions and bringing him into court, you just need to worry about the details and don't kill him, if avoidable. If I'm going to let you go to Bandomeer, I have to make it a worthwhile ordeal or I should be considered a traitor to all I stand for. Do you understand what I'm asking of you?" Inoy told him. Hyperion nodded and Inoy could sense it was true: for all his youthful faults, Hyperion had always been a man of his word unless given cause to believe he should break a promise.

"I also have one more favor, if I should successfully retrieve my boy. When I have him, I'll tell you what it is but for now... Know that if you're willing to do it, I'm willing to consider any debts you feel you have to me repaid. You promised you owed me your life, so please humor me if I succeed," Hyperion said. Inoy looked galvanized though whether it was because Hyperion remembered that vow or that he had a chance to honor it was uncertain.

"If I said yes, how would you intend to retrieve him?" Inoy inquired.

"By returning to the ship and reclaiming a past I once swore would remain buried forever and heading to Bandomeer," Hyperion said, his eyes already beginning to turn glassy with each word. He heaved a heavy sigh and gave Inoy a look that said he knew what Hyperion meant. The Nautolan recognized at once what he was talking about and nodded though gravely.

"I'm taking a terrible risk in letting you go to rescue Menelaus. May the Force be with us both," Inoy said. He made to leave but Hyperion bade him wait and asked a question of his own about the young Knight's conduct.

"Why are you doing this?" Hyperion asked.

"Because I sense in your aura, see in your eyes, that it doesn't matter what species Menelaus was. You raised him, at his mother's request, therefore he isn't your ward. He is your _son_ and your son needs his father, just please don't lose your head to that past you're digging up," Inoy replied, begging Hyperion to keep being the man he was now.

"You... you were right about me when you said I wasn't a cold-blooded murderer, doomed to the darkness. Thank you, in case we never cross paths again," Hyperion whispered grimly. Inoy nodded and informed him he would follow closely in his ship but couldn't act until Hyperion had liberated his son and intercepted any transmissions coming from Clyde's ship. With that, the Nautolan and the older Human parted ways with Hyperion headed to his ship while Inoy would tag along in his own cruiser.

Opening the ramp, Hyperion climbed it cautiously as though there was some feral beast that had taken it over in his absence. _When you told him that you would be reclaiming a past you promised would remain buried. Did you mean the contents of that black-striped box?_ asked the specter. Hyperion snarled at the specter's insolence in asking him the question about what he was about to do. Still, he admitted that this was exactly what he was talking about when he had said that.

"But you will present too much interference for me, if I wore the Ring while performing this task. So for the foreseeable future, you will be silent. Understand?" Hyperion replied to her. The spirit grumbled something unintelligible before otherwise submitting to his will, the Ring being left at a shelf next to the door of the supply room.

For his son, Hyperion was about to do what he had to because despite his words to Inoy, he wasn't a good man. But Menelaus was and that deserved protecting, saving, no matter what it cost Hyperion to do it. Even if he lost the humanity he hoped would be reclaimed in raising Menelaus, he would not let Clyde turn the boy into a worse wretch than either of them. He edged slowly to the box, which represented all he once was, unshed the belt which held his pistol and a couple grenades in addition to the shoulder strap that held his ax.

Completing his bareness, he also removed the armor that had come with his right mechanical arm until it was like almost any other. Then he punched in the combination to the locks that kept the box locked. He watched the steam hiss out of the lid then watched it slide off, revealing contents that he hoped never to look upon as tears finally escaped him.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

At once, memories of Hyperion's past life bubbled forth more volcanically than they had ever threatened to before. Visions of him slicing the Hutt Aeneas into four pieces, flashes of times he gutted humanoids or carved pieces of their spines out with his blade. But what came back to haunt him most potently were visions of the time he had raped Dantius' first girlfriend Patricia or attempted painfully end his second girlfriend Ashlynn's life. Flashes of both the rape and the attempted murder flashed before him, almost in sequence.

Sometimes, it seemed as if he were exchanging lightsaber blows with Patricia and thrusting his manhood into Ashlynn rather than the true accounting of events. Other memories came and went to keep him from fixating on those two most damning of sins until the one that brought him to Ando Prime also surfaced. Now, the three greatest sins of his life (whether the one he performed on Dantius or with intent to afflict him with dark emotions) were playing in his head over and over. Even as he surmounted the migraine they gave him and began placing the armor on himself once more.

However, the worst part about this ordeal wasn't how he could hear the agonized screams of his brother as he tortured him. It wasn't how he could hear the panicking breathing of Ashlynn as he readied his blade. Nor was it even the screaming of Patricia as he repeatedly slapped and squeezed both hands on her buttocks and bit her shoulder until it drew blood. Even his duel with Jakar Forseti and the miserable defeat that followed wasn't enough to make him shake though shake he did. It was the fact that even after all this time, even with the remorse he expressed for what he had done, it still felt right to put the armor on.

Even amidst the sound of him smacking Patricia's buttocks repeatedly, clashing blades with Ashlynn, and burning his brother's flesh, it felt even better to strap his new weapons to his old armor. Then came the weapon behind much of what he had wrought, the lightsaber he had wielded since he was Menelaus' age, forging it after he had wrought the crystal from his hate of his grandfather. Hyperion was on the verge of losing himself to the bloodlust of his past, the rage that had fueled so much of what he had done with the last two and a half decades of his life. "Look at you, groveling in fear from when you had the strength to take what was yours by right of force. Your exile on Ando Prime has made you weaker than the other maggots that you wronged," he heard Crassus voice, the transparent vestige of the dead man returning.

Hyperion didn't add anything to what his grandfather was saying about him even as he finished unclipping his arsenal back together. He included his shurikens into one side of his mechanical arm along with his wrist-mounted blade on the dorsal side. His spear was also clipped to the opposite side of his ax so that he could have it ready for throwing. The whip was added to a clip that allowed it to be held on his thigh even as he continued to hear out what his grandfather had to say to him.

"There is nowhere in all the cosmos that you can hide from what you are, grandson. Put as much distance between yourself and the truth as you may wish, my boy. It changes nothing about who you really are," Crassus told him. It was a spiteful spirit that spoke to Hyperion, a conjuring of his own self-degradation and doubts about who he had tried to become in the years since arriving to Ando Prime and raising Menelaus. He finished putting on the right arm armor which complemented his old suit of armor even better than he expected.

"Pretend to be all that you could never be when you were a warrior. Teacher, lover, father..." Crassus added, causing Hyperion to briefly look over at the specter before it kept prattling on. "But there is one inalienable truth that you can never escape. You cannot change from what I trained you to be and what I had groomed you to become. As far as all the will of the Force will ever be concerned, you shall always be now and forevermore..." Crassus continued.

At those words, the memories of his first ignition coincided with the end of the memories of his three greatest sins. In simultaneity to the present moment, he saw himself igniting the lightsaber he had forged to serve the will of his Sith heritage. "A monster," Crassus finished as Hyperion's blade hissed to life for the first time in eleven years. If putting on his old armor had felt like putting on an old glove, his lightsaber's ignition had felt like a return to the glory he had once known in battle.

"I know what I am, I know what my son is, and I know that you are dead. And you were killed by a better man than either of us. Now if you don't mind, I have a child to save from an old enemy," Hyperion said, keeping his blade ignited and pointed it to the ground as he marched forth. He closed the distance on the specter of his grandfather, who had been killed by a failed essence transfer ceremony where he had tried to take over the body of Hyperion's cousin. Inoy, if you can hear this, I have an idea: return to my ship at once Hyperion said telepathically.

As soon as he disembarked from the boarding ramp, he began a very short wait for his old ally. "Well Hyperion, what you have for me?" asked the younger Nautolan.

"Do you have a spare comlink I can use to directly transmit Clyde's information to your T7 or something similar?" he asked.

"Now that you mention it, I do. Here," Inoy replied, offering him a spare device.

"I'll transmit the information as soon as I get near the information center, be it through the antennae of the ship or something similar. Once that's done, have your T7 sift through the information and decipher only the dirt or any file of suspicious encoding. The rest can be stored on your ship's hard drive until you return to Dantooine with all of it in tow," Hyperion told him. Inoy nodded and made sure that his T7 knew of it within moments of the idea being passed onto the Nautolan by Hyperion.

"Then these schematics will aid you in destroying selective parts of the ship. You'll want to knock out the main power generator first then destroy the sensor array so that I can get within range undetected. The ship will have an emergency supply of power but it can only keep the information drives and basic communications alive, making it impossible for Clyde to detect transmissions without going into the communications array itself. When the fighting starts, he won't want to since one of the things powered down when you destroy the main generator are the ray shield gates that keep all seven wings of prisoners he's collected in their cells," Inoy said, asking for a comlink that Hyperion would use for storing the data until he boarded his ship. Then after a moment, he added, "Remember, I can't help you until at least after you've defeated Clyde Rev or sooner: otherwise I should be branded a traitor to the Republic, no matter my conscience."

Hyperion only nodded and promised Inoy one thing, "Clyde is lucky you need him alive, if it's possible. I make no promises that I'll spare him... he has enraged a father and threatened that father's child for the last time."

"I can sense the darkness of your old life returning when you say that, Hyperion. Though now you wield it for nobler purposes, be careful that it doesn't consume you once more," Inoy begged. Hyperion nodded, thanking Inoy for all his help, then returned to the ship to download the schematics that he had somehow managed to acquisition from Clyde Rev. Reading through them, Hyperion noticed that each wing of prison cells had about five floors and each cell could comfortably hold four prisoners with the best part being that was how many each was holding. That meant nearly three thousand people of different species to be used as blaster fodder while Hyperion made his way to the chambers where Clyde was likely going to be holding Menelaus.

Also consistent with what Inoy said was the fact that knocking out the power generator would free those prisoners and prevent Clyde from remotely intercepting Hyperion's comm to Inoy. So now he knew what he was going to do: he would first knock out the power generator, using the ship itself if he had to then use thermal detonators to knock out his sensor array. He noticed the emergency power would also go to helping the life support systems remain active too which was good. Apart from keeping his son alive until he could reach him, it meant Clyde would have air to breathe while he watched everything he cared about come apart.

Punching in the coordinates for Bandomeer, Hyperion set the ship to jump to lightspeed the minute he pulled down the lever above his head. _There is Sith in you, after all, Hyperion. Use it to become a man of power, you are better than this_ said the specter. Hyperion snarled as they ascended Denon's semi-polluted atmosphere, climbing ever higher until all Hyperion could see was the void of space.

"No, I'm not a better man like you think I am. But my son is, specter," Hyperion replied during the time it took to reach the void of space.

 _So you'll obey the terms of that Jedi and spare Clyde for trial in the Republic? Maybe an execution that could be delayed with the right bribery? What kind of warrior are you?_ the specter demanded.

"One who will _try_ to spare Clyde but didn't make any promises to do that. Otherwise, I'm killing every single kriffin' person I see in that ship until I get my son back. The Hyperion Algethii of eleven years ago has returned to slay a monster he created, spirit," Hyperion told the specter. If the specter could shudder, it did so within the ring, probably out of excitement as to what it was hearing from Hyperion's mouth. Then they plunged into the blue void of hyperspace to pursue Clyde to Bandomeer and retrieve the little Zabrak boy that Hyperion had called his son for eleven years. And on that very same second, the spirit of Crassus and the voices of the past that had threatened to break his resolve on every day he spent in Ando Prime went forevermore silent as the graveyards to which he sent countless hundreds of people in his rambunctious youth.

 **A/N: Okay so for some reason, Fanfiction is being a piece of Bantha fodder on me and not bolding and centering the chapter heading. I'm gonna see if adding a note like this fixes the problem (assuming it's even needed), let me know if it works guys.**


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

"I was wondering how long it would be before Hyperion activated my little recorder. Still, the fact he has now means he'll be coming for you, if he cares about you," Clyde said. Menelaus didn't speak at first, perhaps out of stubborn resistance to Clyde's interrogation which had consisted of Clyde asking him why the hell he was so important to Hyperion. Then he'd recognized a tattoo on Menelaus' shoulder, one the boy himself hadn't seen before and that Menelaus doubted Hyperion would know of even if he knew his boy had a mark.

"That's the brand of the Zabrak Sith lord, Darth Verrin, you carry on you. Did Hyperion get sent by him to collect you or something? Is that why you're going to Dathomir?" Clyde snapped.

"I don't know of any Darth Verrin! Until today, I didn't even know I had this mark!" Menelaus exclaimed. Which was the truth because Hyperion hadn't recognized the mark either and hadn't mentioned as much for all Menelaus' life.

"This mark belongs to any member of Darth Verrin's family, be it a concubine or one of his kids! Are you one of his kids that was taken from him, was your mom his favorite concubine or something like that?" Clyde demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about! The only father I've ever had was the one you took me from, dickhead!" Menelaus bravely spat. Clyde was impressed that the boy had such emotional fortitude as to speak to him like that, perhaps making it somewhat truthful that Menelaus didn't know much of anything. So he snapped his fingers and had the boy brought to the window to watch his prized possessions do their work on another Wookiee.

"I want to show you just a little taste of who I am. Switch on the lights, I want him to see every moment of my babies at work. Just remember Menelaus, I bioengineered and created these things myself," Clyde replied. Below were several worm looking creatures, each of them as long as Menelaus at smallest and others longer still at maximum. The longer and bulkier ones looked well fed though on what the young Zabrak didn't yet know.

A couple meters above, a plank slid out and a door opened with the cries of a Wookiee confirming what was about to happen. Clyde was already as giddy as he could be without betraying the stoicism that he had greeted Menelaus with. Meanwhile, the hulking nine foot Trandoshan known as Drak watched with an empty expression that didn't even seem to register what was going on. The Wookiee struggled as best it could, roaring and crying out every step of the way and when Menelaus tried to turn away, Clyde wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and forced him to keep watching. After a minute or two of tussling around, the Wookiee finally fell into the pit where some of the smaller worms were already waiting.

The behemoth fell onto his back in landing and it didn't take more than half a standard minute for one worm to find him and enter through his mouth. As the big beast gurgled and choked, the worm made its way down his esophagus while three others waited their turn to make the same descent. When all three of the others had worked their way in, Menelaus watched as the worms sucked the life out of him, eating his liver and kidneys from the inside out. After eating to their satisfaction, they protruded sharp spikes which borrowed into the Wookiee's skin and appeared on the outer side, cutting his flesh until they had skinned him alive. The Wookiee was dead before the skinning was even completed but Menelaus knew the point of Clyde showing him this long before the kill was completed.

"If you don't tell me what I want to know, you'll be one of the next meals I give my babies down there. Capeesh?" Clyde asked.

"What do you want me to tell you? I've only known the snow of Ando Prime all my life and the survival code of the people who call it home. My Mom died when I was a baby and real dad never came for me," Menelaus told him. Clyde knew that whenever a kid was this insistent on a story, it usually meant that they were telling what they knew to be the truth. But he couldn't believe that a potential son of the Sith Lord Darth Verrin would be so unknowing of his heritage or legacy.

How in the universe had he gone for so long without knowing who his father was or what kind of man he could one day become? "Drak, tell the nerds at tech that I need some information on any members of Darth Verrin's family that might have died in the last fifteen years. I need to know if there's even a remote chance that the kid's story would check out," Clyde told him. The Trandoshan nodded and marched off to go deliver Clyde's instructions to the technicians operating his information desk. But by this time, Menelaus was a gibbering wreck who didn't even register that Clyde had made the request.

"I think I've gone and broke him. Give him a sedative and let him rest before we resume this interrogation. Maybe by then, Drak will find something confirming the kid's story," Clyde told a nearby doctor. The droid sedated Menelaus and sent him off to a spare bed that was made available for the boy when he first came to Clyde's floating fortress. Clyde waited in silent contemplation, knowing the worms were fed now and that there was little more to do than wait for Hyperion's inevitable arrival.

An hour passed or so in silence until Drak returned with a data chip. "This is all the information that the nerds were able to find on the deaths in Verrin's family. I think you might find it interesting," Drak said. He didn't know how the Trandoshan could have known with his limited intellect, intellect that Clyde himself had limited, but he thanked his bodyguard. Looking over the data was interesting as there was only one incident of Verrin's family being murdered which was consistent with Menelaus' story of arriving on Ando Prime as an infant.

Apparently, Verrin had had a concubine he favored out of everyone, even the wife he'd taken. She was an Iridonian Zabrak, making her somewhat like him biologically except for the fact that he was a Dathomiri male of the Zabrak race. When her only son by Verrin was born, it was said that he had no connection to the Force so Verrin tried to have both of them executed. But an apprentice of Verrin's, more treacherous by nature than most others, fought off her Master long enough for the mother and her child to escape. A more loyal apprentice followed in a dreadnaught that chased her refugee ship across the stars until it arrived at Ando Prime.

There, it engaged a Republic battleship across the heavens but in the process, the refugee ship had been destroyed. Completing his mission or so he believed, the apprentice prepared to return home until the only Jedi Knight on the taskforce (Ashlynn Thorine) slew him in combat. So Menelaus was telling the truth about not knowing that his father was one of the most powerful Sith Lords still standing in the remnants of the Sith empire. He had no way to know because the boy that the concubine had fled with was little more than an infant when the attack commenced. It was thought that the baby had died along with its mother when the ship was destroyed by the Sith dreadnaught but it would seem that Clyde was looking at that infant.

Unfortunately, that meant that Clyde also knew the boy had no information to give and was therefore useless. Did he throw him to the pit anyway for being such a useless kid and risk the consequences of Verrin finding out? Or did he keep him alive just long enough for Hyperion to watch the kid die before his very own eyes? As if to try and answer the question, he saw the lights to his floating fortress flicker then dissipate altogether until he largely only had the emergency red ones. "Son of a kath hound..." Clyde began.

He realized that even if Hyperion had been attacked outside, he had decided to use the ship to take out his power generator before landing to begin the assault. "All personnel, to arms! Not a single prisoner leaves this place and Hyperion doesn't get in for anything or anyone!" Clyde shouted. He should've been paying more attention to his sensor array's registration of Hyperion's ship but enjoying the worms was such an easy thing to do that he lost himself to it all. In the excitement at seeing Menelaus' reaction to the workings of the worms, he had failed to notice the alarms to the sensors.

Hell, in all his enjoyment of their sadistic food collecting habits, he failed to realized he'd turned off his office's speakers! Now, he knew that only some quick thinking and good strategy on his part was going to save the damned day from being Hyperion's. But the fact the power grid was lost meant that even that might not be enough what with the fact he was going to have to bark orders through the emergency PA systems that had been installed. And if Hyperion had already knocked out the power generator, likely ramming his own ship when he knew he couldn't salvage it, it was a good bet that he'd be reaching the sensor array so that other threats would not readily be detected.

 _The Sith Lord in Hyperion is back with a vengeance_ Clyde thought in a way that made a small part of him begin to wonder. Did he really want revenge or did he still want to tie loose ends as a professional? If he wanted revenge, was he going about it the right way or was there a good reason that Hyperion had given up his own quest for vengeance against Dantius? Was he ready to tackle a Sith that had already beaten him once, even with anesthetic gases to dull his senses, eleven years ago?

"Drak, stay here with me. If Hyperion gets past all my security, he'd better have a damned good reason for not being too weak to stop you. Either way, you'll be my only true defense if he somehow emerges victorious, the elite guard will be waiting at the final hallway before this chamber," Clyde said, readying a slugthrower of his own for one last great battle.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**

As Clyde Rev had guessed, Hyperion had been forced to sacrifice his ship to destroy the power generator. But the timing of his departure into the escape pod, in combination to his methodical clearing of the missiles, allowed him to shoot toward the sensor array. He'd had the primary engines damaged during a volley of laser fire and decided to let the ship last only long enough to make a trajectory course for the generator. When he knew the escape pod would satisfy the trajectory he planned for it, he finished donning the suit that would allow him to brave the void of space.

He watched, after stepping out and finding an opening he could enter, he watched as the pod successfully landed in the sensor array. Knowing that no one would see him unless he they were in space with him, from the angle of his approach, he sent a flare that he knew Inoy would recognize for entering the space he needed to reach for the information Hyperion was to attain. Spirit, do you have a talent that's useful or was invisibility your best trick? Hyperion asked.

 _Get me near a battalion of soldiers and I can take possession of their minds if you but command it. I can then take possession of those who know how to reach the information center, help us reach it, and prevent Clyde from stopping our transmission. Those I possess can also be used as blaster fodder, the prisoners you released notwithstanding_ the specter said, ignoring the insult.

 _Then start gathering the power you need to do so now. On my signal, your power will pour through my spear in an outward explosion that will allow you to take possession of everyone in the vicinity. Build up until even I have to begin controlling it or helping you do that until I give the word_ Hyperion said, recognizing the spell as a powerful one. The specter laughed at the idea and began doing just that, a whirlpool of energy that Hyperion knew would continue to build like an unchecked reactor until it could finally take no more buildup. In the meantime, however, he used his lightsaber to find a hallway he knew led to his son and had no guards when he used Force Sight to check the way beforehand.

Landing safely inside the ship, which then initiated contingencies to prevent the void of space from sucking everything out, he put his lightsaber away. He also unfolded his shield and produced his blaster pistol, having not even had to use his thermal detonators yet. Knowing what it was like to defy high-security fortifications such as this before, he kept on the move, never spending too much time in one place. Plus if he emerged out of this, he had all his funds transferred into a single credit chip that he could use anytime anywhere. He could buy supplies at a later time and make the return trip without worry or thought of transport.

Thus he continued, shooting at any guard who thought to try him until his blaster was out of shots. Casting that aside, he occasionally threw thermal detonators at doors that stood in his way in case he wanted to save on Force powers. Then he produced his spear and kept himself in the largely impenetrable phalanx formation or more precisely, a variant that could be used for one person. It was right then that the specter's power reached her pinnacle and it was only a matter of time before Hyperion had the right opportunity to strike with her. _When the opportunity comes, surge through my spear and arm then release on the bottom part of my spear_ Hyperion said.

Surges of green electricity began to circulate toward his arm, his suspicion that the specter's magic was rooted in flesh and blood holders being correct. As far as he reckoned, he could perceive two thousand guards with the likelihood of three thousand more right behind them being high. So when their blaster fire started pommeling his second shield, he raised the spear so that he could slam the pommel blade then jabbed to the floor. He timed it so that the jab could be done in a pause where they reloaded, the green wave that exploded forth hitting them right before they could train their fire on him once more.

The silence that past was so deafening that Hyperion could hear his own heartbeat during it. But when it was done, the specter had a total of six thousand well-chosen guards under her influence as well as the knowledge Hyperion needed. So he told her to send them forth and kill everyone else that wasn't under her influence, including the prisoners. He wasn't about to leave witnesses and odds were that Clyde had chosen mostly the hardest of criminals for his experiments.

People who wouldn't be missed until their mangled corpses turned up in a court of law or something similarly confirming of their deaths. The kind of people that, like him, would better the galaxy more in their death than in their perpetuation. Where Menelaus, Hyperion's biological daughter, and other such innocents only added beauty and kindness to this galaxy, beings like Hyperion, Clyde, and the Sith only knew the macabre practice of butchery. In a way, Hyperion hoped this would be the fight that killed him as long as Menelaus got away. Apart from freeing Inoy of obligation to him, it would also mean never having to worry about his son seeing the beast that lurked inside him and revile it.

But even so, the thousands that the specter possessed cut a swath through prisoners and freed guards alike. They even struck down some of the larger creatures that Clyde was keeping around for experimentation or some other twisted purpose of that sort. Smaller and less poisonous creatures were allowed to roam free until they started fighting the specter's guards or eating the personnel that still remained under Clyde's thumb. By the time Hyperion arrived to the inner sanctum of Clyde's floating fortress, most of his personnel were dead and the information center was left vulnerable for the taking.

So he attached the comm Inoy had given him though not before making sure it was transmitting the information Inoy needed. He was pleased to find that the Jedi Knight's T7 astromech unit had picked up on the signal and was decrypting the information. Hyperion decided it best to simply instruct the monitor to download everything then let the astromech filter it out later or something similar. He stayed by it in case it needed defending until he was sure the transmission wouldn't be interfered with. When it was completed, he detached the comlink and destroy it so that Clyde couldn't use it to intercept Inoy's transmission if he somehow came out of this alive.

Then he continued on his way to his target and his son, both of whom were awaiting him on a throne room at the center of the labyrinth of halls and tunnels. Finally finding it, he noticed there was just one more obstacle standing in his way and not the kind he could readily overcome. The elite guard that Clyde had hired to watch over him were the kinds of mercenaries that had killed Jedi and Sith alike before. They all had slugthrowers, the kinds of weapons that Hyperion couldn't deflect with his lightsaber and could barely deflect with his shield. So he knew that the first order of business was to use the last of his thermal detonators to divide their ranks.

Once he had done this, he would move in for the kill with his shurikens, his hope being to reserve his ax, whip, and spear for use against any combatants inside Clyde's room. The shurikens did their job and killed enough people to where Hyperion knew he could use his ax on the remaining individuals. Aside from the fact they were armed only with vibroblades of varying sorts, he had also covered the distance between them and himself too quickly for them to reach the pistols of their fallen comrades. He finished his assault by plunging his ax into the control panel for the door that lied beyond, still holding the wrist blade that he could shoot or duel with in reservation. The spear and whip he favored were also by his side as was a net he could shoot out that would get tighter with struggle until it sliced its victim to pieces.

Of course, he ended up having his lightsaber on reserve in case there were any enemies past that. Unfortunately, he did see two faces he had hoped he would never have to face before this expedition. Clyde was waiting for him with a blaster as was the Trandoshan hulk, Drak. "Drak? I thought you swore vengeance against Clyde, the hell are you doing working for him?" Hyperion inquired.

"A special little trade secret of mine. One of my earliest successes ate the part of his brain that controls free will and all memory except his training as Sith. So Drak, do us a favor and kill this guy, would you?" Clyde asked. Hyperion responded by throwing his spear with a bit of Force-imbued speed, quicker than Drak could unsheathe his vibroblade and get to work. The result was a severed aorta artery, dead center of the point where the neck met the chest and shoulders.

He was dead before Clyde even had time to do anything other than snap his fingers for the remaining assassin to come to his aid. But Hyperion dispatched this one with the wrist blade before they had even half a thought to see what he was doing. Had that one survived, he would've offered some ability to wield a battle ax but not enough to save him. Hyperion produced the whip in ending the same motion that had allowed him to shoot out the wrist blade and whirled it so that the hooking tip landed on the top of Clyde Rev's spine.

It took out the top part of his spine, keeping him alive but paralyzed from the shoulders down. From there, the only resistance was a nexuu that tried to ambush Hyperion from within the shadows but he was ready for it with the net that he could shoot from his left hand. As it tried to get out of the trap that Hyperion had placed it under, he could hear its cries of outrage and agony. Meanwhile, he cauterized Clyde's wounds with his lightsaber so that he could ask him some questions, specifically about what he wanted that made him place his filthy hands on Menelaus.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

"What did you want with my son, you pirate?" Hyperion snarled. He lifted Clyde by the base of his neck's back until his feet were dangling a few inches above the ground as he spoke. It was his intent that Clyde would be facing him while they spoke which was exactly what happened. Clyde was visibly afraid which Hyperion was so surprised by that he used Force Sight to make sure he was seeing correctly. He'd have wondered how Clyde hadn't fainted from the pain in the tearing of his spine or the cauterization that followed until he realized it was probably not the first time he'd been injured.

"Not your boy, you. I wanted to tie up loose ends, knowing what you cost me with the last floating fortress that I had! Remember, the one you helped Drak destroy, nearly fifteen years ago?" Clyde asked. Hyperion nodded, knowing exactly what he was talking about when he spoke of the fortress. He noticed the window in front of them both and with his lightsaber still ignited, he smashed it to pieces so that he could observe what was below.

"What's down there?" Hyperion asked. He observed several floating platforms, one of which was low enough for him to drop Clyde without killing him if need be. However, he also observed a design flaw in each platform which essentially meant that any deadweight of Clyde's size which fell on them would cause the platform to short circuit until it hit the bottom. He also observed the skins of Wookiees being extracted from the bottom, indicating something amiss. But only Clyde's answer would confirm, he knew as much, and when he spoke he did indeed confirm.

"My prized gems, parasitic worms that skin anything they touch from the inside out in return for the organs and blood of the victim. I use them mostly on Wookiees like those pelts demonstrate but I've tested them successfully on other species as well. Hell, I even had an Ewok fall down there once," Clyde explained. Hyperion didn't need him to explain to figure out that they probably got in through the mouth and then completed the skinning process within the body of their victim.

"So here's the deal, I'll spare you from being done in by your own creations if you promise that you will surrender to Republic custody. You will not come after us, you will not hire anyone to kill us, and you will answer for every last crime you have ever committed. Starting by ordering the destruction of this fortress, along with everything in it, such as the worms. Understand?" Hyperion told him.

"You severed my three most essential vertebrate from my body, making me immobile from the shoulders down. Would I really have a choice in refusing to cooperate?" Clyde asked. Hyperion chuckled, interested that Clyde would still remain so sarcastic to the end and since there was no surveillance in any part of the ship, he decided to take on a more interesting approach to dealing with this smuggler.

"That's why this is going to be much more fun," Hyperion said, heaving Clyde through the broken portion of the window. He watched as the terror mounted in Clyde, seeing this mortal at his mercy being the greatest feeling he ever had in a great while. Then he spoke, perhaps as he might have heard one of his old victims speak countless times before doing them in.

"You promised you would let me go if I turned myself in! What are you doing?" Clyde asked.

"Letting you go," Hyperion answered.

"What? Are you doing this for the Jedi, for the Republic, for freedom, for your son?" Clyde demanded. Hyperion was impressed he hadn't yet begun to beg for mercy, perhaps knowing he wouldn't be receiving it.

"No," Hyperion said. Clyde had crossed a father who could fight by snatching his child from under him. For that, Clyde Rev had to pay and there was no getting around it, even with Inoy's request. "I do this for me," he said as he released his grip on Clyde. As he suspected, the platform short-circuited and dropped to the chamber of the worms awaiting below. Clyde was then thrown out and unto the playing field of the worms with the skinnier and hungrier ones already waiting.

Fortunately for Hyperion, he might have crippled him but he didn't remove his ability to feel pain. So even as the former Sith warrior turned away to liberate his son, he could hear Clyde screaming as his own creations devoured him. When the hired physician, a man with a record longer than a Zillo Beast, tried to oppose him in saving his son Hyperion hanged him with the whip. He made sure to tie such a knot that if the man tried to free himself, the hook that had crippled his paycheck would also slice his throat deep enough to reach bone. So there the dwarven human hung to suffocate a slow death while Hyperion saved his son from the fortress.

Fortunately, he was still knocked out from sedatives he'd been given, likely to treat the trauma of watching the worms do their dirty work. Having saved Inoy's frequency on the comlink that he was given, he made a call on his own to make a pickup. Then he activated the self-destruct protocols of the fortress so that everything that remained would be destroyed. He also launched the escape pods and made the turrets shoot them so that there was no chance of escape. All except one that he himself entered with his son before anyone else had a chance to find it and use it.

The wait between Inoy's extraction and their initial departure from the self-destructing fortress seemed to last forever. In all that time, Menelaus had never come around but Hyperion knew he was alive. His mind was made up about what he was going to do next, before Inoy had a chance to even stop him, recording a transmission that he finished when Inoy arrived. Needless to say, the journey was just beginning and Menelaus' part in his tale was about to change. So long as he could get past an angered Nautolan who he had seen angry only this one time before.

 **Inoy had been contemplating** the information that Hyperion was downloading during the time that the former Sith had been wreaking havoc in the fortress. He decided to have his T7 unit store and decrypt the most classified information in case Clyde's dirtiest deeds were there. Needless to say that the droid uncovered some crimes that even the Sith Empire would've likely gawked at if they had seen the records he was seeing. Worms that took nutrition from blood and organs before skinning their victims, beetles that lobotomized parts of the brain, the works. All that was just the tip of the iceberg by the time he found and rescued Hyperion and his son from the escape pod that had saved them from the fortress explosion.

"Good to see you again, friend. Though the circumstances are a little more melancholy than I would've liked," Inoy said. Which was true to say the least, as Hyperion reeked of the Dark Side

"I am just fortunate that you were in the proximity to save us as immediately as I think Menelaus would've appreciated if he were conscious, right now," Hyperion replied, looking over his boy. The Zabrak child groaned at that moment, the first bit of evidence that he was coming to that either of them had seen. Both Jedi and Sith guessed that he had been knocked out by some powerful, perhaps even illegal, sedatives that had kept him out through the entire battle. When the fortress exploded, Inoy scanned for life forms in the escape pods that had been jettisoned into space beforehand.

"You..." he began when the scan was done.

"They tangled with a father so I left an example the galaxy isn't apt to forget, anytime soon. None that were in there when I arrived left that place alive, not even the coward Clyde Rev who took his own life rather than face Republic justice or my wrath," Hyperion said. Inoy nodded in understanding, whether or not he disagreed with it being long beyond anyone's ability to help. He also had a gleam in his eyes which told Hyperion that he knew he wasn't telling the truth but he wasn't willing to press the matter. The Nautolan Jedi had what he needed and that was the long and short of it, where they were both concerned.

"Before you left, you said you had a favor that would count as payment for the life debt I promised you. May I hear what it is?" Inoy asked. Hyperion looked once at his still-unconscious son then back to the Jedi Knight before him. Then, with a glassy shine in his eyes, made the most terrible decision that he had ever been forced to face.

"Take him far from me, before he sees what I really am. When we part, take him to a good home deep within Republic Space where he'll be safe. Where even I couldn't find him if I tried or wanted to," Hyperion said. Inoy's eyes widened with despair at exactly what Hyperion was asking of him. In fact, the amphibian wasn't even sure if he had heard his former ally correctly in what he said about taking Menelaus with him.

"What are you saying, Hyperion? Do you want me to put your boy through the Republic's foster care system to _maybe_ find a good family?" Inoy asked.

"No, you'll directly oversee his adoption process and make sure that he finds a good family. But first, take him to Dathomir along with his mother's ashes so that they may be disbursed where she wanted them disbursed. And give him this ring, with the specter of the mountains imprisoned: if anyone can help him out of this fog, it's her," he said. Inoy nodded, taking these items but was still in awe at exactly what Hyperion was asking him to do for him to repay the life debt he'd sworn to the Sith, all those years before when they worked together in Hutt Space.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

"Are you sure you wish to do this, Hyperion? Your boy may know your true nature now but he may resent you more for doing this than if he was allowed to stay by your side," Inoy warned.

"It isn't whether or not he knows my true nature that I'm afraid of. No, I fear that the burdens of the knowledge, the burdens of being the kind of man I am that will destroy him as they threaten to destroy me even now. Please Inoy, take him, make sure he gets a good home even if you have to directly see to it that it happens and I'll consider your life debt repaid. Clyde won't be the last of my old enemies to come after me, I know this, but most of them don't even know I have a son. I will keep it that way if I can and the enemies that are in Republic Space, who know of him, will have to face a Jedi before they can get to him... please, hear the prayers of a father and deliver," Hyperion begged.

Inoy looked him long and hard before finally nodding, giving into Hyperion's cries for help in protecting his son from his enemies. "I know someone the Council trusts, someone who can foster the boy and needs a strong pair of hands around her house anyway. Your boy is stronger than most children I've seen but that may be because of the man who raised him. He will be in good hands, I'll see to that myself without the approval of the Council if I have to," Inoy assured him. The look of relief that washed over Hyperion was as though he had been handed a gift of life from the Force itself.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Inoy!" Hyperion exclaimed.

"And how do you intend to go about getting out for yourself?" Inoy asked.

"Do you have a spare shuttle I can use to begin my return home before too long? Or something I can use to at least reach Taris before I continue my journey back home," Hyperion asked. Inoy nodded and gave him a hangar code he could use for the purposes of making his return to Ando Prime. But in thinking about it, he quickly snatched it back, scratched the code of the flimsiplast then handed him a different code, explaining himself before Hyperion could ask him what he'd done.

"Use one of the escape pods to head down to the surface of Bandomeer then find yourself a transport from there. It'll be a lot simpler than taking up a resource Menelaus and I may need if we're headed to Dathomir," Inoy stated, pointing out a strategic flaw in Hyperion's request. Hyperion nodded and immediately began making for the escape pod though Inoy did call out to him, one last time. "Hyperion, if we're even now... you know I'll have to come for you if Polydeuces and Agni die or can't somehow bring you in, yes? I cannot deal out anymore help to you than I can legally do nor ethically perform without betraying the Order," Inoy asked.

Hyperion looked over his shoulder and nodded, stating, "I wish there were more Jedi like you and my brother, regardless. If there were, maybe I'd have the respect for the Order that they demanded of me in my youth." Inoy chuckled and thought to counter with pointing out how many of the Jedi Hyperion had killed when he was a younger man but kept that bit to himself. Besides, it did no good to cover ground that was already known between the two of them and Inoy had already somewhat betrayed the Order in what he said.

In revealing that Agni was still hunting him and that Polydeuces also wanted a piece of him, Inoy could have been held liable for tipping off Hyperion to their presences. Hyperion used the escape pod launch code once he arrived and took off to never be seen again until the next battle. As he swooped down to the atmosphere of Bandomeer, Inoy contacted the Republic authorities to inform them that Hyperion was merely using the escape pod because there was no other transport. "So why was this former Sith in the floating fortress, rescuing this kid if you aren't in cahoots with him?" asked the primary investigator.

"Because I bested him in lightsaber combat and told him that if I'd get his record with the Republic pardoned in return for any dirt he dug up on Clyde. Legally speaking, the evidence we've uncovered will speak volumes to Hyperion deserving clearance from punishment. Wouldn't you agree with that?" Inoy explained. The investigator looked over the evidence that Hyperion had uncovered, gawking at the footage of the worms when he reached it as Inoy had done.

"I'll get this down to Coruscanti Police and get it processed to Clyde's file along with a note that he shot himself rather than go in. That is what happened, yeah?" the detective asked. Inoy nodded, figuring he may as well spin the same lie Hyperion had tried pulling along with the rest of his little fabrication. He knew he was doing the Sith a dangerous favor but the Republic _did_ have bigger fish to fry than one lone warrior.

The biggest bonus for Hyperion in this case was that an agreement existed between the Jedi and the Republic. Any Force-sensitive who had wronged a Jedi and had no ties to organized crime that meddled with Republic affairs was purely a Jedi problem. This meant that as much as he wished it so, Polydeuces would no longer have legal access to the Havoc Squadron. Once Hyperion's records were expunged, Havoc Squad could legally do nothing to avenge their comrade until the next time Hyperion committed a felony offense. Now, all Hyperion would have to contend with were the other two Jedi that were already on the prowl for him unless something of consequence to them awaited on Dathomir.

"Where will you and the kid go from here? I mean, now that Hyperion's gonna be expunged and all," asked the detective.

"There's an errand we have to fulfill on Dathomir. Once we do that, we'll be returning to Republic Space to find him a new home. Hyperion wants him adopted somewhere safe from his non-Republic enemies," Inoy said. Even the seemingly simple detective that stood before him seemed to understand what would happen to those enemies in Republic Space as long as Inoy drew breath. As long as there wasn't anything in Dathomir that was of value or consequence to the Jedi Order, there was nothing more Inoy could do without committing outright treason.

But while he was saving Hyperion's record from being continuously tarnished further, Menelaus was fighting his own battles in the fog of unconsciousness. Now, armed with the Prison Ring which held the specter as well, the realm between realms where dreams and visions lied beckoned to Menelaus almost as potently as it would Hyperion or Inoy.

 **In the realm between** reality and the dead, Menelaus wandered in a grey fog that warped his perception of all reality. But there was a figure that was in there with him, a foreign presence that the Force had brought to him. She wore robes of orange, skin as white as chalk with her eyes painted black in the shape one might see on a skull's eye pits in the blackest night. "Greetings Menelaus, do you not recognize me from the mountain cave?" she asked.

"You are the specter that my father imprisoned in the ring. The only reason I can think of that you're here is that Hyperion gave me the Ring," he answered. In recognition of his guess, the specter chuckled before answering his reply with one of her own.

"You are correct, I was the specter of the mountains and the former enemy of the Jedi in the First Great Schism. Now, your father has left me in your care along with your mother's ashes and you are in the custody of the Jedi Knight Inoy. Before you react, know that he doesn't intend to arrest: quite the contrary, he intends to find you someplace safe from the enemies of your foster father. But if I am going to be in your company, I must ask you a favor," she explained to him. When he shrugged and gestured for her to describe her favor to him, she laid on something fairly simple.

"When you disburse your mother's ashes, grant me freedom by saying that you release the specter of the ring among the ashes of your mother. In concluding, give me back my name and I will be born among any unborn child of feminine genetic makeup. I will have new life if you are but willing to complete this ritual for me," the specter told him.

"Even if I agree to it, what was your name?" Menelaus asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told it to you, a lot humbler and simpler than yours despite my origins," she said.

"Try me, I've been experiencing a lot more than my fair share of humble and simple until this whole damned journey began. Just tell me your name and I'll think about freeing you when I disburse my mother's ashes," he commanded. She chuckled and then revealed that the name she had in her first life, the name she'd been known in the First Great Schism was simply Talzin. "That's it? Talzin?" Menelaus asked.

"I didn't have a family house that could foster me the way even you do. So I was known only as the witch Talzin, who aided the Legions of Lettow against the Jedi until they bound my spirit to the cave in Ando Prime's mountain center. Simply say that you release Talzin as you disburse your mother's ashes and I will take care of the rest," the specter told him. Menelaus was still hesitant, even with such personal information being entrusted to him and drove a deal of his own.

"If I do that, I do so on one condition: I have your inviolable word that you _never_ leave except for healing. Don't interfere with the struggles of the galaxy until they come to you or unless you're driving them off Dathomir," Menelaus said. They had a deal and he woke up with her help in the process.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Hyperion had forgotten what a dump Bandomeer was. A mining community, there was a reason most people only came to this world to gather minerals and then leave. It was a lawless, worldwide mining community with the only enforcement of Republic law being sleepless droids since they couldn't be bribed. Hyperion knew he'd blend in here, having killed many such criminals before and such murders being a matter of public record.

In fact, when he landed he could've sworn he was still remembered from the last time he'd been on Bandomeer where he had been responsible for the death of twenty-six local gang members. He'd left the bodies of twelve of them for the authorities to find but smelted the others into gold statues he had his connection sell for some money. Now, however, that connection was lost to him since he was gunned down for selling fakes to over half the population. Even so, transports weren't very costly and for good reason: more people left Bandomeer on a daily basis than stayed on a yearly one. By and large, the only people who stayed were those who were on the run from the law, had slates to clean by serving prison sentences, or were born here and knew nothing else to name the three primary reasons.

Corruption was rampant and politicians did little to bring change when change would dethrone them from their gilded thrones. It was one of the few Republic systems that was essentially allowed to do whatever they wanted, provided they kept the ore coming in. But when the miners saw Hyperion, saw the lightsaber dangling from his belt, it was easy to see that they recognized a killer on his face and backed away. He was largely unopposed except for the occasional harlot looking to score some credits in return for a mere night's pleasure.

But beyond that, he was unmolested by the greater Bandomeeri community. He found a transport to his liking, one that was transporting people of all species en masse. Bothans, Ithorians, Cathars, even a Wookiee and Whiphid were making their way off world. Disembarking in overwhelming numbers were humans, many of whom wore chains to symbolize their criminality. It didn't take a genius to recognize what was happening and why they were being brought in such overwhelming numbers as they were.

 _The harlots will have their hands full in entertaining these ones. Hopefully, their pimps have ways to get them some good money or this is going to get ugly before too much longer_ he observed quietly. Already, several of the women who originally tried to hook him up were approaching several of the prisoners and law enforcement. "Quite a sight isn't it?" said an Ugnaught that caught Hyperion watching the disembarkation.

"It doesn't get better every time I see it. The Sith may be gone but corruption is still rampant in the Republic," Hyperion said aloud.

"That's a dangerous statement to be making kid. Reckon the Republic don't prefer critical thinkers very much since most such minds belong to the Jedi. Betcha the Chancellor don't scratch his ass without permission from the Council," said the Ugnaught.

"How was that any less dangerous than the words I spoke? It would seem like slandering the Chancellor is a tad more significant than pointing out that the entirety of the Republic being corrupt at some level" Hyperion asked. The Ugnaught laughed a sharp laugh that then was followed with a horrific cough. When he recovered from the coughing, he answered Hyperion's question rather bluntly.

"It ain't if you don't count the fact that the Chancellor is the Republic or so the saying goes. Rumor has it the man's a Grandmaster on the kriffing Jedi Council too, making him in charge of everything in Republic Space and maybe beyond. I'm Klaus by the way," said the Ugnaught.

"Hyperion," he said. The Ugnaught Klaus recoiled as if in recognition of the name from a past misdeed that he might have performed. Granted, the former Sith warrior wouldn't have been surprised but in truth he was a little suspicious about the Ugnaught's conduct. When he disappeared, Hyperion knew better than to stall for his return and tried to board the ship before anything could happen.

Moments later, the yellow lightsaber blade of the Echani warrior Agni materialized along with the man wielding it. He swiped at Hyperion with his blade then followed with several slashes that were reminiscent of the former grace he once commanded in wielding his favored forms. But Hyperion had seen enough broken Jedi to know exactly how to end this kind of confrontation before it gained anymore steam than it had already gathered around it. When the Echani missed, Hyperion turned and swiped over his right shoulder with the blade parallel to his left foot when the strike was finished, the Jedi barely countering with a sufficient defense.

Hyperion made a good twirl and managed to turn his blade so that the point was facing the transport before he then absorbed another blow from Agni. When this was completed, he shut off his blade, extended himself forward with the yellow blade mere inches from his chest thanks to a sidestep he took. Then he ignited the blade when the hilt was just under the forearms of his foe, swiping upward to take the Jedi Knight's arms off and deactivate the blade faster than he could think. When he realized what had happened to him, he cried out but Hyperion quickly threw his blade hand over his left shoulder then swiped back across to take off the man's head.

His strike was timed so that he could then turn around and slice across the eyes of Polydeuces, who'd materialized while Agni was being destroyed. Then Hyperion swiped underhand at an angle to try and see if he could slice a gash across Polydeuces' thigh. As Polydeuces cyan-blue blade hummed with the life of a Jedi's weapon before him, Hyperion then spun and struck underhand again. But when he performed this one, he extended a hand out before Polydeuces could react and used a Force push upon him.

In successfully performing a Pushing Slash from Form VI, Hyperion freed himself up to leave and just in time. Havoc Squad was getting ready to pelt him with lasers and while he could deflect them now that he'd seen them coming, he knew better than to fight on such crowded ground. He also knew the Special Forces squad would never fire upon a crowd of the magnitude that'd gathered around Hyperion and the Jedi before he was able to enter the transport. So he took advantage of the chaos to make his escape, paying enough in the way of credits that the transport driver actually accepted him.

He escaped, having deactivated his lightsaber and having successfully made his getaway. Which meant that Inoy had likely called in another favor lest Republic law stopped him from escaping with his life or his freedom. Curious, he entered his name into a databank to see what could be found, knowing the answer from his own days incarcerated in maximum security prisons. In the off chance he ever escaped, he learned the record he had by the time he was twenty-five by heart so that he would know what to announce when he was dying.

But when he went to see his record, he could only find those instances where he had been a nuisance or a direct enemy to the Jedi. Only his attempts on Dantius' life were available for the public records along with any other time that he killed other Jedi. What in the...? Hyperion began silently. But then, Hyperion figured out why it was that he was only seeing these instances in his public record. Inoy had somehow used the information on Clyde to bargain for Hyperion's legal expungement from all Republic law enforcement records.

 _You sleazy son of a Kath hound, you actually did it. The information on Clyde was juicy so you lied and told Republic law that I had gone into the fortress in return for total expungement. I'd be impressed if I wasn't so disappointed that it now means I won't be chased by Special Forces anymore_ Hyperion thought to himself silently. He couldn't believe his luck, couldn't believe that Inoy would perform this kind deed for a Sith warrior who'd killed more than his fair share of the Nautolan's fellow Jedi.

But there was a strategic benefit to all that he had done, a tactical victory for Hyperion that he now realized he benefited from. In doing this, Inoy knew that the Havoc Squad would be forced to reassign elsewhere in the galaxy where their talents would likely be of better use. Most likely, they would be assigned to settle skirmishes in Hutt Space like Nar Shaddaa or rebels in Mandalore. He would have just Polydeuces to deal with or any non-Republic enemies like Patricia's sister on Taris. It was a clever tactic and evened the playing field a little more than he originally believed was possible.

He just hoped that while Inoy was having fun, he was also getting busy taking Menelaus to Dathomir so that his mother's ashes could be disbursed. Because in having do this, in having Menelaus complete the journey under Inoy's protection, he was providing his son something he himself could never have. He was providing him closure on a part of his life that he had been haunted by behind forevermore. And as a father, he was not only providing his child closure, he was also providing him a better home than he himself could ever hope to give him.

Away from sorrow, away from want, away even from the conflicts of the Jedi and the Sith. But most importantly, away from Hyperion and the legacy that the man had forged for himself in the deeds of his youth. Deeds that, since donning on his armor and clipping his lightsaber to his belt once more, seemed no longer to haunt him. As if he had finally found the closure that he needed for himself from the evils he had committed when he was a younger and more insipid man. Pondering his future a while longer, he found a blanket, rolled up, and slept.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

The trip to Dathomir was a physically easier one since the planet was less than a single parsec away from Bandomeer. But for Menelaus, it had been a generally emotionally unsettling one and with good reason. On one hand, he was completing the objective that had originally brought him and his foster father out of Ando Prime. But on the other, Hyperion wasn't here to witness the fulfillment of his mother's wish that her ashes be disbursed on the highest peak in Dathomir.

He saw that Hyperion had left a recording behind and the boy had finally decided to play it before entering Dathomir's surface. It hadn't taken Inoy long to find the highest peak in the planet nor that much longer to settle down near a flat enough point for there still to be a journey. He had also observed several unnatural structures that led him to believe that they would be seeing a site of some historical significance where they landed. But as Menelaus played the recording, he found himself even more sullen than he was before.

"Menelaus, if you're playing this, it means I have returned to the Sith warrior I once was before. I knew you were aware this form existed within me from the first time you caught me practicing my kata technique exercises when you were four years old but that isn't why I've done as I have. See, in saving and protecting you, I realized that it wasn't the fact I held a lightsaber that made me inhuman but how I used it that made me a monster. Admittedly, when I met you, I very nearly left you to the elements with your mother but not because I didn't care. Rather I was so blinded by the idea of vengeance at any cost that I didn't want to let such emotions show even to a dying woman begging me to raise her son.

"You're probably wondering why I ever did take you in, I bet. You wonder why I even bothered to raise you when it would've been all too easy to leave you to die with your mother. Well, that's precisely it, kid: it would've been to damned easy to leave you there to freeze and die. All I had to do was keep trudging on even as you cried louder and louder for food and warmth from anyone at all. But in taking you in, for selfish reasons or so I once believed, I knew I had a better chance of gaining the one thing I lost when I was four years younger than you are now... in saving you I hoped I regain my soul," Hyperion began.

Inoy had opened the hatch to Menelaus' room, having hope to tell him that they had arrived. But when he saw the hologram of Hyperion, he stayed silent and listened to what his former ally had to say. "I made a deal of servitude to my grandfather that cost me my soul, my humanity when I was seven years old. Many who were deserving died at my blade and many who were not perished under my heel but... But I'd like to believe I faced my sins, saving the lives of the two people who have ever mattered to me more than my own worthless existence.

"You, of course, and then the Jedi Inoy under whose company you should be under if all has gone to plan. I know that you can be the good man that I never was if you go with him, listen to his instructions, and pay your respect to the family who adopts you. Treasure them as I have treasured you for eleven years as through that respect, they will give you everything that I never could with even all my power. Warmth, safety, and the guarantee you would want for nothing for all the days of your life. Until you are fully grown, capable of independent space travel, and have the credits, please do not pursue me for both our sakes. Please do not look for me while you have a childhood to live out in case I should be killed by the blade of a Jedi and carry your mother's ashes to that mountain peak on Dathomir when you arrive.

"Your destiny is to fulfill her wish and then live a meaningful life with people who will know to love you as I did. As I... as I still do. I love you as the son I never had and the child I never knew, may the Force bless your life where it has only saw fit to curse mine," Hyperion's hologram said. Then it faded out of existence, Inoy as moved as Menelaus though his emotions were less obvious for reasons of his Jedi training. All he did was instead, place a comforting hand on the young Zabrak's shoulders when he threw the recording hard enough to smash it into several pieces across the wall in his room.

"That may be the hardest decision I've ever seen Hyperion make. If you think you are fuming, know it probably killed him inside to know he couldn't protect you the way you needed to be," Inoy told him.

"Why is he afraid he can't protect me? He's a fully trained Sith, he's slain Jedi Knights more powerful than even you before!" Menelaus snapped, giving in and letting the tears flow.

"Hyperion can do almost anything a Sith can possibly put their mind to. He can kill without a second thought to the consequences, torture without regret to who he was tormenting, but I don't think he performed any greater act of courage than raising and protecting you. Deciding that you would be better protected deep in Republic Space must have been like cutting out a chamber of his heart without anesthesia and handing it to you. Come, don't hate him for what he has done: take inspiration that your journey is almost complete and that Hyperion's managed to do the one thing most parents can only dream of," Inoy told him. Menelaus tried his best to put aside the tears and rise to the occasion, Inoy producing the sash with the ashes of the boy's mother.

"Carry her, Hyperion wouldn't have wanted anything else if he were here now. And wipe that frown off your face, something tells me we're about to do a lot more than simply disburse some ashes," Inoy assured him. When they disembarked, Inoy immediately began to regret the words he had said to Menelaus about doing more than simply disbursing some ashes. On the right side of them, there was a panel of stone with paintings that Inoy recognized as a primitive form of hieroglyphic writing.

Unfortunately, he also recognized the writing on the wall as Sith which meant that this related to the Empire. In the drawings was a purple-skinned Zabrak of Dathomiri origin, the only such person that Inoy had heard of being the one called Verrin. He watched the panel and recognized what it was all at once... it was the story of Menelaus, a child of Darth Verrin by an Iridonian concubine. "What is this?" Menelaus asked.

"Your story, Inoy. This is... this is the story of your birth and how you came to be with Hyperion," Inoy answered at once. Menelaus' skin paled in epiphany, the sudden knowledge that he was looking at the story of his birth at once galvanizing him and terrorizing him at the same time. He recognized the purple-skinned Dathomiri as his father in those moments and recognized what the panel came to mean.

"Your father was the Sith Lord Darth Verrin. One of the members of the Dark Council when the Empire was deposed from the galaxy. Your mother wanted you to come here because of this project, this story your father left behind for you if you ever came," Inoy told him. They scaled the mountain slowly while reading what the panel had to say. Inoy could tell that Verrin had grown to love Menelaus' mother and together, they'd conceived him in an act of passion. But when Menelaus was born, a void was cast around him according to the panel, making Verrin want to study him more for some reason.

That said, when Menelaus' mother realized what was going to happen to her son, it appeared she stole him while Verrin slept. The Sith Lord had been drugged or else his sleep would have been interrupted when she entered to steal their son away. Pursuing her across the stars, the panel ended when the ship that had brought Menelaus to Ando Prime had been shot down. "I don't understand, what was with that black fire around me? Was I some kind of abomination when I was born?" Menelaus asked.

"No, the Sith have accepted plenty of abominations into their ranks. I'll admit that my Sith alphabet is a tad poor, since Jedi are usually taught to stay away from anything related to them except times like when they unite against the Zakuul empire. The only thing that truly besets me is your name in these characters. For some reason, your father refers to you as Surik," Inoy said.

"Surik?" Menelaus inquired. Inoy then decided to ask him a question that seemed only fair, given the circumstances.

"How familiar are you with the legends of the Jedi Order? How much did Hyperion teach you about the people it calls its greatest heroes?" Inoy asked.

"I know about Revan and about Awdrysta Pina in the First Great Schism. I've also been made aware of the exploits of Satele Shan since the more recent war with the Sith started. Why do you ask?" Menelaus admitted. _Then he doesn't know about Meetra Surik, the wound in the Force who could drain the life essence to sustain herself. Could I be looking at someone born with the same power and that's why he never manifested any sign of the Force?_ Inoy thought grimly.

"A question for another time. Come, your mother's ashes aren't going to disburse themselves you know," Inoy said. They climbed to the summit, where Menelaus came to the edge of the mountain so that his mother's ashes could fly upon the wind. While he did this, Inoy backed up to give him privacy for a family ceremony as well as to look over the hieroglyphs once more. By the time, Inoy believed he had reasonably figured out the story that this monument to Verrin's family told him with what limited ability to read the ancient Sith tongue that he possessed. He had to warn the Council, this much was certain, when they began their journey back to Dantooine and before Menelaus was given to the home Inoy had spoken of.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

In finally disbursing his mother's ashes, Menelaus remembered to do it with the hand that held the Prison Ring, awakening the specter to her homecoming. "Specter of the Ring, I hereby name you Talzin and release you from your prison. Rise free and powerful from the ashes of my mother to be born anew," he said. Several moments later, a green mist materialized and formed on the ashes of Menelaus' dead mother.

Whenever he threw some ashes across the sky, the green mist levitated above the ground as the ashes were carried across the air. " _Thank you, my boy, for releasing me from my prison. Allow me then to reveal your story and the plan that your mother had concocted for this day,_ " Talzin told him. Then Menelaus' perspective melted from the present day, showing him an eye he knew originated within his mind and allowed him to look into the past.

Menelaus saw a figure he recognized as his pregnant mother walking to the cave where the specter had been imprisoned. "Great spirit of the mountain, tell me what my child is so that I may please my lord," she asked.

"There is a price for such knowledge," said the specter.

"No price is too great, please tell me!" she begged.

"If you but instruct that your ashes be disbursed on Dathomir when you are dead, I will take care of the rest. Swear an inviolable oath that you will lend your ashes to my cause and I will tell you what you need to know about your child," the specter told her. Menelaus' mother swore a blood oath that she would offer her ashes to whatever cause the specter needed of them. The vision then skipped over to Menelaus' birth and the eyes of his father bearing down upon him as if in recognition of something about him before he was even born.

Then a flash and his mother was fleeing his father with baby Menelaus in tow, the ship crashing and Hyperion collecting him when she was dead. Everything was adding up nicely as to how he even ended up in Hyperion's care but not why he was called Surik. It sounded like the Jedi knew something but he continued to contemplate what the hell the hieroglyphs meant to anyone. He finished dispensing his mother's ashes among the currents when the vision parted, the specter being thanked for what it had given him before it disappeared upon the wind.

On the one hand, Menelaus was glad that she would be free but on the other he was going to miss the power she clearly had at her disposal. He cast the sack which had carried his mother's ashes over the edge of the mountain, his business done on Dathomir. After all, he knew about his birth, who his father was, and had a rough guess as to why he had been brought to Ando Prime. There was just one thing left and that was to mull over what the specter could've revealed to his mother that made her take flight from Verrin when she recovered from the act of childbirth.

The Jedi seemed to know something and when Menelaus came back, he asked if he had made any headway in deciphering them. "I'll have to come back with a team of archaeologists in order to know anything for certain. But I'm confident I have correctly interpreted what they mean to the best of my abilities. I can't tell you anything until I know for certain lest I cause premature fright in you or something similar," Inoy confessed to him. Clearly, he was hiding something but Menelaus knew better to push it, not when Inoy was sensing approaching entities.

The ignition of red lightsaber blades confirmed that they were trained Sith Lords and Inoy had his T7 ready for the ship for a quick getaway. Then he turned on a holocam he had to record the Sith that were about to attack himself and Menelaus. Igniting his own blade, he greeted them with the characteristic opening stance of Form III Soresu. "Jedi, you are trespassing on Imperial Sith grounds and are therefore in violation of intergalactic ordinance. State your name and your business in this part of Dathomir or we'll enjoy chopping you and your Padawan asunder," said one, a Cathar with a saberstaff.

"My name is my own business and this boy is not my Padawan. Merely a guest from a dear friend of mine who will be needing a place of his own soon," Inoy told them. The Cathar then smiled before leaping in, closing the space between them with a Force-imbued forward jump. Inoy intercepted the first strike of her blade long before she had a chance to slice his throat with it then intercepted the other end just before it could lacerate his right thigh.

When she tried to bash her hilt into him, he countered by feinting then slicing in a diagonal motion to cut her blade in half but he'd also sliced her throat in similar fashion. She was dead before she had even hit the ground while her Bothan friend made a run for Inoy with his traditional blade. Since he was several dozen meters away from the Cathar even before she made the leap, he had hoped to leap above Inoy and strike down to cut the duo in two. Instead, Inoy sliced his blade arm with his lightsaber then horizontally bisected him at the waist, leaving him for dead when his upper torso rolled to his right and nearly over the edge of the cliffside.

The lower half of the Bothan was sent flying over the cliff before Inoy had even registered that he'd killed his first two Sith lords since before the war ended. They reached the ship in time for Inoy to sense a much darker void like presence that made even Menelaus double over in nausea. There was only one Dark Lord that Inoy could think of who would have such a revolting presence, one of the last people he ever hoped to see in the galaxy. "Punch it, T7, we're getting out of here and headed Ord Cestus and then Dantooine from there!" Inoy ordered.

The droid wasted no time in arguing and catapulted them into the atmosphere before there was any chance of the Sith Master stopping them. However, they were pursued by Sith buzzards until they broke the atmosphere of the planet, Inoy taking to arms to shoot down one or two just before the void of space greeted them. Then hyperspace took over, transporting them back to Bandomeer where they would then return to the Hydian Way. He knew that once they were there the Sith wouldn't dare follow for fear of revealing their existence to the Republic.

But the fact that Inoy already had all the proof the Council could need that the Sith were still alive meant that they were found anyway. The reason he had chosen Ord Cestus for his next destination was a simple strategic one as well as geographical one. As well as being the nearest one at the angle of exit that his ship had chosen, it was also along the Celanon Spur which could then transport them back to Dantooine without a hitch. From there, he could then return to Dantooine, talk to the Council about his discoveries, then see to a course for Coruscant plotted for Menelaus' new home at the K'tani residence.

His ship was plotted for Ord Cestus as his first destination and he plotted about four or five other words. Agamar, Garqi, Mygeeto, and then Dantooine or so was the plan when he had arrived in Ord Cestus. Unfortunately, the Sith lord he had run from, the one Sith he hoped never to face again, already knew excellent where Inoy was going. It didn't take much for Inoy to realize that and it didn't take him much for him to realize that he was probably going to send someone after them.

 **When Lord Verrin heard about** a Jedi Knight intruding upon the monument to his lost love with a Zabrak child, he was livid. He knew that now the Jedi would relay the existence of the Sith back to the Council and then Dathomir would no longer be safe for the Empire. Already, they'd risked losing Balmorra and now this preposterous incompetence on the part of two of his acolytes. When he saw the ship take off, he had half a mind to rip it out of the sky with the Force and bring everything crashing down.

But when he reached out with the Force, he saw something familiar and not because he knew the Jedi. Could it be that there was someone he knew on that ship, the boy perhaps? But how could he have known who it was if he had never even looked on the face of the boy before? "Master, something wrong?" interjected an acolyte. Verrin shook his head to return his mind to the present and turned to the acolyte speaking to him on the matter.

"Are there any coordinates derived from that ship that left?" Verrin asked.

"Yes, for Ord Cestus. Likely to get back onto a trade route and return to Dantooine, shall I provide you with them?" asked the acolyte.

"No, plug them into my apprentice's ship. Instruct him to hunt down that ship, find the boy accompanying Jedi Knight Inoy Llimetch and bring him to me alive. No exceptions," Verrin ordered. The acolyte nodded and marched off to deliver the instructions that Lord Verrin had conjured for his apprentice, Darth Khonsu.

Contemplating what could be awaiting him in sending his apprentice, he turned to the panel he had been constructing for his concubine and his son. He looked specifically at the panel with the birth of his son and the void that had been painted around his child. The Zabrak Sith Lord raised a curious eyebrow in the direction of the depiction of his son being taken by his love. Could it be that the boy was Surik, his long lost son returned to him at last?

If so, why had he come after all this time and why was it that he was in the company of a Jedi Knight? He respected Inoy, one of the few Jedi he could actually say that about, but he wasn't sure how the Nautolan could've found the kid. There were questions aplenty awaiting if the boy could somehow be captured and brought in for interrogation. But he knew his apprentice alone would not be enough to bring him in, he needed secondary resources that he could expend to bringing him back. So the first order of business was simple: get a physical description than impose a bounty for his safe delivery back to Dathomir if Darth Khonsu failed in his assigned mission.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

While Hyperion was beginning the slow and arduous journey home, Polydeuces was reevaluating what to do. He had been barely told that because Hyperion's record was expunged, Havoc Squad could no longer stay with him. Therefore, he wouldn't be commanding the same firepower he'd had throughout the entirety of the mission.

Combine that with the death of the Jedi Sentinel Brothers Bane, Agni and Rudra, he was essentially alone unless Inoy regrouped with him. But he wasn't going to wait for that overcautious Nautolan who acted more like he was in league with Hyperion than fighting against him. He was essentially alone which meant it was wise of him to have taken Agni's lightsaber even if he couldn't immediately retrieve his body. Apart from Jar'Kai usually being one of his best styles, it would also do him some good to think about the strategic advantages he'd need to beat Hyperion.

He would also need a more carefully selected choice of planets at which to make his attack, away from heavy crowds if he could. But one thing was for certain, every advantage he could gain over Hyperion was an increased chance that he could win the duel. Hyperion had displayed trickery with that execution of the Pushing Slash as well as diversity in how many forms he could fight with. He was also going to have a talk with Inoy about his conduct after he was done with Hyperion, specifically as it pertained to providing legal aid to Hyperion. There were only a few worlds he could think of that were along the path Hyperion would have to go for smoothest travel.

Knowing the crude bastard, he was probably going to take the same path back home that he used to reach Bandomeer if he could and for good reason. From Bandomeer, he could stop for restocking of food in Taris or if the transport provided food on the trip, stretch his legs at Brentaal. The latter destination was at the start of the Hydian Way which would take Hyperion straight back to Denon where he'd first faced Agni and Rudra. He would also need to get on the Corellian Run once he'd arrived there which was almost a straight shot home from that point on.

Mon Gazza would be another world where he could intercept Hyperion if he was in doubt as Hyperion would inevitably have to go that way if he wanted the quickest route home. Beyond that, he'd have to use the Perlemian Trade Route and the Great Kashyyyk Branch as well as the Gamor Run to name a few routes. Plus, Mon Gazza was the kind of world where bodies could be hidden and never found, perhaps even erased so that they were beyond chance of recovery. And then there was actually going to Ando Prime and awaiting him where the journey began. What more fitting place, he wondered, could there be to end the feud between the two of them than where it had originally begun?

Inoy wouldn't have enough time to follow him there and once he arrived, Hyperion wouldn't be wanting to go anywhere. It was either conquer him and hope the Jedi didn't renew their pursuits with his death or perish by his blade lest he felt like being merciful. If Dantius wanted Hyperion brought in, Polydeuces would most certainly consider trying but he wasn't going to promise anything to his former master.

More, Polydeuces had killed Sith warriors in the heat of battle before which meant he could mention that again as a possibility for why he couldn't have spared Hyperion. Combine that with the fact that Dantius, as far as Polydeuces was aware of, didn't know how much his brother had changed such a story was even more plausible. So he decided he would head to Ando Prime and put an end to the journey where it had once begun in order to get the best chance of destroying Hyperion. Little did he know, however, that forces of the type he couldn't control were already conspiring against him.

 **When Inoy arrived to the** Dantooine Jedi temple, he had Menelaus wait in his quarters while he spoke with the Council. Grandmaster Eidolon was still in power but even with his mind fully intact, he could barely hold on physically. Still, he was a towering pillar of wisdom and light that could be turned to in times of crisis as had been the case when the Sith still existed. "You have proof that the Sith still have some dominion in this galaxy?" asked the Grandmaster.

"In the form of an indisputable video," Inoy said. He produced the device that had recorded his encounter on Dathomir with. There, he showed the Cathar apprentice and the Bothan acolyte who attacked him, each wearing the banner of the Sith and the symbol of Darth Verrin.

"So he is truly not dead and where he lives, Darth Atrox and the like also endure. This is an unfortunate situation for the Republic. We're just now recovering from the economic turmoil caused by inheriting the debts of Zakuul and the Sith. The Force has thankfully granted us the means to clear up the worst of it with the Intergalactic Banking Clan and build a sustainable economy across the stars once more. Now you say there is a remnant of the Empire still intact on Dathomir and provide proof," the Grandmaster declared solemnly.

"If I may suggest one course to start with, it was the former rogue Sith Hyperion who had originally started the journey to Dathomir with the boy that now travels in my company. Thus, I'd like to ask if it would be possible for the Council to pardon or even expunge his former travesties against the Order as a token of appreciation in this matter," Inoy said.

"Hyperion Algethii? Dantius' older brother, may I ask why?" interjected Ashlynn, a Council member now who had once loved Dantius in their youth. To be fair, she did still hold somewhat of a flame for him but for the good of the Order, she kept those feelings aside until she was alone. She had also fought against Hyperion before and nearly died by his blade so it made sense for her to be a tad reluctant to vote in favor of Inoy's request.

"Because he fought hard to rescue the boy, raised him without any help from anyone for eleven years on Ando Prime, and even asked me to find him a new home in the Republic. Just to name a few of his more recent deeds and he did twice save my life before I came to the Dantooine temple, years ago. There is good in him and I believe he could make that climb more easily if he knew he didn't have a record on him at all," Inoy explained aloud, articulating his reasons clearly and intelligently. The Grandmaster mulled it over as did his more supportive members of the Jedi Council.

"Was he the one who also produced the files on Clyde Rev? The one with the dirt that Republic law is still decrypting?" asked the old Human after a moment. Inoy nodded and the Grandmaster further mulled over the possibility of granting amnesty to Hyperion for his crimes.

"Well, the Empire is still in existence and Hyperion was a rogue even when they were powerful. We have bigger fish to fry than him and for that reason, I see no harm in granting him the amnesty you wish as long as it is the will of the Council," said Grandmaster Eidolon. Enough heads nodded that the decision was made but Inoy stood his ground to indicate he had more to say, beyond bowing in thanks. The Grandmaster looked at him quizzically and asked him what more he could have to offer.

"As many of you know, Polydeuces did not conduct himself with the full graces and tact of a true Jedi Knight during this mission. It is my belief that in combination to him still pursuing Hyperion without a plan, he should never have been Knighted. I push to recommend that he be placed back into the apprenticeship of his former Master until he can exempt more of the characters we expect in our Knights. If he should continue to pursue the mission against Hyperion upon your approval to reassign him, it might be possible to consider expelling him from the Order," Inoy said. Before the Council could speak up, the Grandmaster raised two hands to ask for them to remain calm and collected.

"In your defense, we have seen the footage of Polydeuces' conduct especially the footage where you are present. You are tactical, patient, precise, and you knew the enemy you were going to fight. Polydeuces was hot-headed and too sure of himself due to the few experiences he had with fighting Sith at the tail end of the war. We will consider your recommendation and then call for you once more when we have made our decision. Just one last thing, where do you intend to take the boy if we let you assign him to a foster home?" said the Grandmaster.

"To Ms. Asya K'tani, former consort of the fallen Jedi Mathes Colunga and daughter of known Sith warrior Felony Serano. Apart from her daughter being dead and the father being nowhere to be found, she'll also need a pair of hands she can care for and train around the house. And she is a trusted associate of the Jedi who has come through on everything we've ever asked of her in the past though I would like to talk to you privately about him later, if you don't mind," Inoy said. The Grandmaster nodded and bade him dismissed unless he had anything he cared to add onto the comments that he had already made at this summit which revealed the existence of the Sith Remnant. Inoy Llimetch bowed his head and parted to pick up Menelaus and inform him of the Council's approval to send him to Asya K'tani for residence until further notice on the part of the Jedi Order itself.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Hyperion arrived on Taris, the first stop on the journey home, with an empty belly and plenty of credits with which to buy sustenance. Since he no longer had a child to care for and he would likely not be free to hunt his own game for some time, he figured he may as well gorge himself for once. He had a taste of all the good foods that he had never tasted in nearly fifteen years from the sweetest desert to the spiciest meat. When he board his ship once more, he knew he would be full and satisfied for more than a little while. But in all that time, the stirring never left him, never left his mind and in fact haunted him more grotesquely now than it had before he had arrived.

Taris was a place of more than a few memories for him, he knew this much to be true. But even so, Patricia may have been born here but she moved to Coruscant in the years after graduating high school. Was he now sensing the presence of Morgana or perhaps even his daughter, having discovered a gift in the Force of her own? Indeed, she would have been of the age where she would be discovering her own powers and perhaps even using them.

He knew that only time would tell and time was short. Time was always short for men like him, men who killed, tortured, raped, and plundered to their delight. Men like him who debased and perverted everything of beauty or joyfulness in the galaxy because they had the power to do so. The only time they had was the time they could buy in the carnage of battle and with Hyperion's training in the ways of the Dark Side, even more so.

He only regretted now that he couldn't have told Menelaus everything about who he was. In time, he would come to know Hyperion for the monster he once was in his youth perhaps even finally come to revile him. Being safe and protected within the deepest bounds of the Republic would do that to most people who'd left the Outer Rim and enjoyed the opportunities it offered. As long as he never had to cross paths with him again, he would live with that having done his part as a father and saved the child he raised for eleven years from the evils of his past.

 **Menelaus was largely silent during** the trip to Coruscant with Inoy breaking the silence with the occasional question. Largely to know superficial things like what Menelaus enjoyed hunting after the most on Ando Prime, what chores he did around the house, etc. He even asked about somethings Hyperion did in order to get them supplies while they were trapped in Ando Prime's greater forest. Menelaus mostly answered with laconic sentences with no more than three or four words.

It didn't take having the Force to sense that Menelaus was upset about Hyperion putting him up for adoption. Inoy knew then that there was no way Hyperion could have held him captive, not when there was no way that Menelaus couldn't have remembered his mother. "Should I tell you the story of how I met your father? It's got lots of action, lots of lightsaber clashes, and it's the reason I respect him," offered the Jedi Knight.

Menelaus lit up quite a bit more when he heard this remark and took the Nautolan on his offer. "It began after I was forced to say goodbye to Dantius at the Vornu Jedi temple, when he needed to make a journey of self-discovery. His travels took him to Voss and a couple other worlds, relating them in a fashion that persuaded the Council of the time to Knight him. I, meanwhile stayed until a being that ate Force-sensitives for nutrition came, forcing the planet under quarantine," Inoy began.

"So it ate people like you for its nutrition? Gross!" Menelaus replied, suddenly becoming as interested as any other child.

"Yes, well, I was separated from the main evacuation force and ended up in the Outer Rim. My travels took me to a world called Oba Diah, which was the capital of the Pyke Syndicate at the time. I was about to board a shuttle that would hopefully take me back to the Core Worlds after the rest of my group failed to even make it. The ship was crashed by the Pykes when they came looking for me and for the price that had been recently put on Hyperion's head. There was also a Weequay named Seth al Ugolio who was a reluctant companion to Hyperion at the time and would turn on him later on but that's a whole other story. After we were downed, we fought our way back up and I even got captured during the chaos," Inoy continued.

He loved the look on Menelaus' face as he explained the story of how he had met Hyperion and why he thought him a good man. "It should've ended right there and by the will of the Force, it would have if Hyperion had not felt a bit of remorse and decided to rescue me. He even fought an Imperial Inquisitor whilst Seth fought off his two apprentices and when it was done, I was safe. But Seth made things worse by killing the leader of the Pyke Syndicate, whose son then vowed revenge on us and placed a bounty on all our heads," he added, a moment later. Clearing his throat and drinking the kind of saltwater that nourished him on his homeworld before continuing.

"When we arrived to Nar Shaddaa, we were attacked by all manner of bounty hunters until we finally met a rival of the Inquisitor Hyperion had killed. We fought him but he made an offer before fighting us: Hyperion and Seth could join him upon killing me or they would both die. Hyperion refused and even fought the two of them single-handedly. Seth was defeated, the Sith Lord was killed, and I met my former Master Aria Tethys. Hyperion even taught me a few martial arts moves in the Echani style which reminds me, he'd probably want me to teach them to you too if he were here," Inoy offered.

If Menelaus was lit up before, he was exploding with excitement now and begged for the chance to learn the Echani martial arts he'd seen his foster father use on the Twi'lek Havoc Squad soldier. So Inoy asked him to try and punch him so that he could demonstrate one of the first moves that Hyperion ever taught him when training him in martial arts. When Menelaus was finally willing to punch him, Inoy swiped a hand across and twisted it so that he could then demonstrate the next move. He pretended to press his palm so that he slammed into the boy's chest and throat with his hand, even going as far as to say "pop" when he made the blow.

"That was one of the very first tactics your father ever showed me for a basic punch. He showed me one for knives, blaster pistols, even for dealing with guys in the kind of armor you saw that soldier wearing when he attacked your dad at your house. Pretty neat, huh?" Inoy asked. The pilot soon let him know that they were nearing Coruscant's atmosphere and that he would be entering the clearance code they were given by the Council before they left Dantooine. From there, the Nautolan thanked him and then offered to continue teaching him martial arts.

"Just tell me why you even care. Hyperion is a Sith Warrior, one of the sworn enemies of your Order. Under any other circumstances, you two would have been crossing blades with each other," Menelaus asked. Inoy took a heavy breath and thought about that carefully before speaking.

"If I tell you the answer, can you promise me one thing?" Inoy asked the young Zabrak. Menelaus nodded and asked for him to explain what it was he wanted the boy to promise him before he spoke.

"Be good to the foster mother that I'm taking you to. She's a great technician and mathematical genius but she needs a strong pair of hands for some of her tech. Think you could promise me to do that, Menelaus? I know this transition to the life of Coruscant is going to be shocking and maybe even overwhelming beyond comprehension. But just like how you lost your father and everything you've known, she's lost her husband and daughter along with almost everything she's ever known, you two have a lot of common ground you can bond over," Inoy told him.

Menelaus thought it over and decided he would finally accept the promise that Inoy was asking him to make. "Does she... does she help people like me a lot?" Menelaus asked.

"She's had about three or four other foster children since she had her sight surgically restored by Dantius. He paid for the operation in return for the work her husband had done for him as his Jedi Master on Vornu, it was truly a touching story to hear. Bottom line is, she's worked with kids like you who have known nothing, have had nothing, and raised some upstanding citizens before. I think you're going to like her as she will undoubtedly like you when you two meet," Inoy explained.

"And I did sometimes admit to Hyperion that I did wish I had a mother to call my own. My real one was dead when I was about a standard month old so I've never known what it's like to have someone to call mom. Thank you, Inoy. For everything," Menelaus said, finally letting the tears he'd been holding back flow forth.

The Nautolan Jedi took him into a warm embrace and held his head against his chest while he sobbed. _This is exactly what the work of the Jedi is all about. Helping the needy and holding sobbing children close while they unburden themselves_ Inoy thought silently. When they arrived, Menelaus was finished and just in time because Inoy commed Asya to let her know that they had arrived to Coruscant.

They would also be landing in her private landing pad in her technological castle estate of machines, and other gadgets. When they arrived, Asya K'tani was very excited to see them both.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"You must be Menelaus, the Zabrak that Inoy was telling me about. It is such a delight to meet you, why don't I show you around my house and let you see where your room is?" offered Asya. Menelaus was much too taken aback by the sights of Coruscant to really debate her, though he was thankful he had visited Dantooine first and seen the cities there before he came here. Inoy followed behind and it wasn't long before Asya figured out that he wanted to talk to her about some serious business related to the Order.

"Okay, your friend has some business with me so how about I just introduce you to the main hall and the dining room. Then I'll take you up to your room and you can get settled in while he and I discuss whatever's on his mind," Asya offered after a moment. Menelaus couldn't wait to see anything and everything there was to see in this residence, having never been around so much luxury in his life before. _He really is from an ice world to be so excited at all this material wealth I've accumulated from my inheritance_ Asya observed grimly. After about another hour or so, she showed him to his quarters and then stepped into a private chamber where Inoy waited for her.

She extended him a cup of saltwater which he gladly took, having deprived himself since leaving Dantooine. "You got something on your mind, old friend?" Asya asked as she sat down with a cup of tea as well.

"Yes, it is about the boy I'm entrusting into your care. Before I begin, how much did your husband tell you about Revan and the one known to history as the Jedi Exile?" Inoy asked to start things off. Asya thought about it carefully as she finished the cup of tea in her hands before replying to his question. Setting down the cup and the saucer, she then looked at the Nautolan and made her most honest reply.

"Mathes used to prattle on and on about Revan, his admiration for the man, and the stratagems he used to win battles," she admitted.

"Did he ever speak of the woman who became known to the public records as the Jedi Exile and her exploits against the Sith Triumvirate? Or was that something he never knew about when he was one of Revan's lieutenants in his old life?" Inoy asked. Mathes had actually been born in the decades before the Mandalorian Wars to a family of prestige but had been frozen in carbonite by a Dark Jedi enemy of his that he managed to mortally wound beforehand. Unthawed in another century, Mathes had adjusted as best he could and offered his insights about anything and everything of context to the life of Revan.

Fortunately for Inoy, as he was about to find out, this did include more than a mouthful or so about the Jedi Exile known then as Meetra Surik. "He did mention that she always shadowed Revan that she felt whole whenever she was with him. It wasn't a romantic love she felt for him, more like an older brother letting his sister take part in something grander than both of them. I know that when he left, she had been cut off from the Force and exiled for a time before it was revealed her power actually manifested as a wound in the Force. But that is all I can really tell you about the one that history calls the Jedi Exile," Asya admitted to him.

"I ask you this question because I have reason to believe that Menelaus may have been born a wound in the Force, like the kind she was. You and the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order will be the only ones to know and the information cannot be mass distributed until I know for sure. But when we went to Dathomir, before I fought the Sith acolytes that attacked us, there was a painting on the wall where I saw what looked like Darth Verrin's concubine giving birth to a void in the Force itself. Knowing the nature of such power, it's possible that the reason Menelaus' potential has never been discovered is because he has never been given a chance to feed off the Force itself," Inoy said.

"But Meetra never consciously fed on it where Nihilus needed to do it to survive, Mathes told me as much. Both were wounds in the Force that could siphon the energy of living things to survive or grow strong but Meetra was never dependent on it as Nihilus was," Asya pointed out.

"If the Force be willing, Menelaus will turn out to be the same way but it is possible that this connection is why Verrin so adamantly pursued his son. He didn't cast him out or anything similar but rather, intended to turn his son into the same kind of weapon that Nihilus had been. That or learn the power for himself so that he could defeat the Jedi Order and live forever, only further study of the mural I found could reveal the answer. I'll also need to return to the Jedi Temple to request an alphabet of the ancient Sith language so deciphering can be made possible. So if I should return to take the boy to the temple in the next little while, that will be why I have come, just wanted you to understand," Inoy said.

Asya let her head fall in thought, on the one hand glad she might actually have a Force-sensitive in tow. But on the other, the fact he was potentially a wound in the Force meant that catastrophic results awaited the galaxy if he was made aware of his gift prematurely. "Let's say that your suspicion is correct, wouldn't Verrin have tried to stop his mother when she fled with him? For that matter, do you think she might have been on her way to turn him over to the Jedi when she died?" Asya inquired.

"It's not unlikely. In fact, it's my primary suspicion for why Verrin shot down her ship: he figured a weapon falling into enemy hands such as that was a weapon best destroyed. The only thing I can't understand about it is how Menelaus' powers couldn't manifest if he is one," Inoy said.

"Unless the energy he did siphon as a baby was how he survived long enough for Hyperion to find him," Asya suggested. Inoy nodded, believing that to be the most sensible possibility when he thought about it a bit more. Then he thanked her for her time, made sure Menelaus would never hear about what he possibly was before it was known for sure, then left. He had much to think about before he returned to Dantooine, presumably to deliver the same speech to the Grandmaster that he had given to Asya.

The Nautolan also had to ponder what to do if Verrin came for him because if Inoy suspected this much, odds were the Sith Lord would begin to think so as well if he still remained in this plane of existence. Something also told him that he hadn't heard the last of the Sith disciples like the ones who'd attacked him and Menelaus. It was when he thought about the attack that he wondered if Menelaus had to be told his power to draw upon dead Force-sensitives. Was it possible that his power only manifested with knowledge of its existence which would explain how Inoy hadn't sensed him using the ability of Force drain?

He also had to make a call to Polydeuces, informing him that he had been officially recommended for return to Padawan status. Since the two of them had separated, he hadn't been able to get a hold of him with Polydeuces fuming about being left out of the mission. Havoc Squad was also somewhat livid but they knew the legalities of the system they worked for and knew better than to contend with the wishes of their own superiors. He would also need to capture him if he had continued to search for Hyperion even with being recommended to return to Dantius' apprenticeship.

Worst of all, it might be necessary to trade lightsaber blows with him in order to bring him down, should he be so entranced with this mission that he can't otherwise be stopped. But his first order of business was to first return to Dantooine and inform the Grandmaster of his revelation about Menelaus' power. He needed to persuade him to let him study the writing of the Sith so that he could decipher the message on the walls he saw so that he could confirm what he suspected in the illustrations. Because he knew that if he could persuade the Grandmaster of the magnitude of having someone born a wound in the Force, he knew the Jedi might have the greatest weapon for eliminating the Sith that they'd ever found.

If he could be trained to use his power against the wielders of the Dark Side, they also had an intimidation method for discouraging pursuit into the Dark Side. Though he hated the idea of Menelaus being used for this fashion, there were some things the Council had already ordered done which were far more questionable than his own ideas. If Menelaus truly was a wound, all Inoy wanted was for him to be the reason the Jedi could bargain with the Sith from a position of strength. There was, of course, just one problem with his plan if it turned out that Menelaus could wield the Force in like fashion.

The very moment Menelaus' ability was used for the first time, Verrin would more than likely sense it. How in the universe was he going to protect Menelaus once Verrin knew that his biological son had manifested powers? On top of that, wouldn't Hyperion also sense it and decide to do something about it, given that he raised Menelaus for eleven years? So many questions and not quite enough time to find out the answers to all of them, not even the ones about whether or not Menelaus was truly a wound in the Force.

And there was something else, when Meetra Surik was alive, the Council had been fortunate that she was willing to look for another chance when her connection returned. Had she been interested in revenge, she would've been little better than Darth Nihilus himself. What was to stop Menelaus from becoming another Nihilus when he realized his power? And why did Inoy sense now that the Prison Ring no longer held a specter within it? Too many questions and not enough time to start answering them before the answers would destroy the Jedi Order.


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Chapter Thirty**

Hyperion arrived to Denon, the halfway mark between Bandomeer and Ando Prime for refreshment. But when he got off, he sensed an all too familiar presence that he knew to expect when he was home or something similar. The Jedi Knight known as Polydeuces had finally caught up with him, though he had seemed like he was ahead of him at first. But when he sensed that Hyperion had arrived, he was all too happy to turn back and face the former Sith. "I had a feeling that you would be making your way back home by the same route that you came," said the Jedi Knight.

"It is the easiest way to get home. Now, are you going to ignite those lightsabers at your belt or are you going to waste your breath talking?" Hyperion said.

"Where is the boy you were with, Sith? Did you decide to kill him at long last or something similar? He was an annoying little bugger when I first met him, don't worry," Polydeuces taunted. _Why don't you ask Inoy for the whereabouts of my son, jackass?_ Hyperion thought but didn't say aloud. He reached for his own blade however but didn't ignite or even unclip it as Polydeuces hadn't yet gone for his own blades.

For Hyperion, it was noteworthy to notice that he had taken Agni's blade after the Sith had killed the Echani warrior, likely intent on wielding it in conjunction to his own blade. "Agni and Rudra were friends of mine before you killed them, you know. So today, I wield Agni's blade in simultaneity to my own so that you will know the full might of your brother's former Padawan!" Polydeuces exclaimed.

"Let's hope you've trained in the use of the blade half as well as you've been trained in the use of your mouth. Or else this will be quick and painful for myself and your brother," Hyperion snapped back quietly. Then he unclipped his blade and ignited it, readying it for action against his brother's former Padawan in a classic stance of Juyo. It was then that the two of them fought with Hyperion sizing up his opponent before he had ever engaged him.

To the older Sith it was clear that Polydeuces typically wielded a combination of Ataru's acrobatics, the stabs of Makashi, and the slashes of Djem So whenever he fought traditionally. Jar'Kai, however, was his favorite style which indicated that he was his strongest whenever forced to rely on Niman to conserve energy or else his Jar'Kai skills wouldn't be so brilliant. Any elements of Shii-Cho that were to be found in his form were no more than was necessary for training in other lightsaber forms as well. He also wasn't terrific on defense or else he wanted Hyperion to believe that as he fought aggressively.

So when Hyperion fought him, he knew to counter this with the quick arcs and twirls of Juyo along with the power of Djem So and the precision jabs and stabs of Makashi. Anyone looking one would have only seen blurs of yellow, blue, and red as the two of them clashed but Hyperion wasn't concerned for this. Not the way he was concerned about whether or not Polydeuces had yet registered that his lack of knowledge in the seventh form would yet prove to be a hindrance to his victory against the ex-Sith. As the two of them continued to clash, it was clear that Hyperion held one other advantage over his adversary. Though his Soresu knowledge was limited to knowing how to reflect an enemy's strength and compound it with his own, it was enough against Polydeuces.

Therefore, whenever Hyperion successfully deflected a strike from one blade, he was able to ride on the momentum to easily counter the other. The duel, as a result was starting to turn in his favor with increasing time and intensity in the process of the duel. Hyperion hadn't even yet used Force Rage to heighten his own strength which made this even more confounding for him. Either Polydeuces' Jar'Kai skills were not up to the par that Hyperion had once thought they were or he was deceiving him into exhausting his strength before finishing him off.

It was a strategy he'd normally seen Imperial Sith execute on Jedi who became overexcited that their lightsaber skills were actually making a dent. Strategically speaking, it was brilliant when it was executed successfully since both opponents' precognitive abilities were usually neutralized. But Hyperion didn't think that Polydeuces had the kind of experience to successfully execute a strategy that usually was performed on Jedi Masters (or by them). Regardless, he made a tactical retreat when Polydeuces provided the opportunity by trying to slice him in half, reevaluating how he was going to defeat this boy.

After briefly catching his breath, Polydeuces prepared to charge him again but that was when Hyperion surprised him with a volley of Force Lightning. The fact that the younger Jedi knew to deflect it with his lightsabers came as no surprise to Hyperion, he merely hoped it would distract him long enough to put the physical settings of their duel back under his control. Apart from not fully knowing Polydeuces' lightsaber credentials, he also would be trapped on Denon for several months if he missed the transport that would take him to Mon Gazza. If he could get on the shuttle and evaluate what he'd seen in the way of the skills at Polydeuces' disposal, he'd be better prepared for him when he returned to Ando Prime.

Plus, he'd hold one other advantage once he returned to his homeworld of eleven years. On Ando Prime, Hyperion would know the terrain better than the young Jedi and so would know how to strike from any number of angles that Polydeuces couldn't counter. Unfortunately, it didn't look like Polydeuces was going to give him the opportunity, teleporting in front of him before he could really run. _This complicates things if he can teleport even as many as twice or thrice in a single duel_ Hyperion thought grimly.

"Going somewhere, old man?" Polydeuces taunted. Hyperion scoffed before readying himself for another round of fighting against the younger Jedi.

"I thought I would be before you revealed one of your best cards to me. Thanks for that bit of information, when I escape you I'll keep it in mind when you find me again," Hyperion replied.

"Why bother running when you can just end it now? Be done with this life for Menelaus' sake as well as the galaxy's?" Polydeuces asked. Hyperion ignored it as the fighting continued with their clear differences of style creating brilliant displays for non Force-sensitives to perceive as they fought one another. Then Polydeuces scored a decisive blow that Hyperion had not been counting on, a blow that nearly ensured Hyperion's death. When Hyperion landed an overhead strike on Polydeuces' blue blade, the sabers were crossed for long enough that he used the yellow one to slice the hilt of Hyperion's blade almost perfectly in half.

Of course, Hyperion had one more trick that was revealed as soon as Polydeuces tried to slice him in two from the shoulders down. When Hyperion looked like he wouldn't be able to escape it, he clutched both of Polydeuces' wrists and freed the yellow blade from his grasp. Then he Force-pushed Polydeuces a dozen meters or so before levitating the hilt of Agni's lightsaber into his own hand. Reactivating the yellow blade, he then gave into the Force Rage ability that had been building up in him and charged into Polydeuces with the reckless abandon of the bald Human's youth.

Before Polydeuces could even react, Hyperion had him down on his hindquarters and a hand to the ground, holding up his lightsaber in defense of his life. He had mocked Menelaus, implied that Hyperion had killed him because was annoying, and hadn't relented in his pursuit of him even when his records had been expunged. Hyperion needed the best way he could end this quickly, which meant showing what he could do when his Force Rage ability was put to the best use it could be. But before Hyperion could strike the killer blow, the bit of railing which supported Polydeuces gave out, sending the young Jedi spiraling to what would have been the death of anyone else in his shoes.

"This isn't over!" he yelled as he plummeted several hundred meters below. Hyperion knew as much, even while under the control of the Rage but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that Polydeuces would now be thinking twice before continuing to pursue Hyperion across the stars of the galaxy. Odds were that the poor bastard had never fought against Force Rage in his life and now that he had, he'd know better than to use the same tactics if he continued his pursuits.

Inside, Hyperion felt at once elated and terrified. On the one hand, a Jedi nuisance had been dealt with long enough for him to make his escape to a place of greater tactical value. But on the other, he felt the slip to his old ways that he had always feared closing in on him like a wolf pack closing in on its next meal. He'd battled it three or four times on Ando Prime when he fought some of the more savage native predators to defend himself and Menelaus.

But they had been just animals and Hyperion had had good reason to fight as savagely as they did. This was different, this was someone of sentience and what's more, someone with a gift in the Force that had made him an asset to the Jedi Order which had always tried to destroy him. So when Polydeuces warned that it wouldn't be the last time he and Hyperion would be crossing blades with one another, he knew the poor boy was probably right. He just wanted it to be in the kind of place where defeating the Jedi would be assured and Ando Prime was the only such place in the galaxy for that sort of thing.

Worst of all, he was going to have to do it with an unfamiliar lightsaber that he had never gripped until now. It was going to take a little bit of getting used to but fortunately, the transport's journey back to Mon Gazza would be long enough for him to do just that throughout.


	31. Chapter Thirty-One

**Chapter Thirty-One**

Darth Khonsu's instructions from his Master were fairly simple. Find the Nautolan Jedi who'd killed the lesser acolytes and either capture the boy in tow with him or find out where he was. Then he could dispose of him provided he brought the boy back to Dathomir alive for Verrin to question at some length. The young Kaleesh didn't know what he was going to enjoy more between completing the mission or the fact he was finally going to fight a Jedi Knight.

He'd been raised in the Empire all his life and at one time had been enslaved but had earned his freedom when Verrin spotted his potential. Then he'd been trained in all seven forms of lightsaber combat, Jar'Kai, and saberstaff as well as the lightwhip. He had also been trained how to fight unarmed and could perform various complex feats of Dark Side energy if needed. As such, his getup was a trio of lightsabers, two of which were magnetized at the pommels so that they could become a saberstaff as needed. Thus, they were usually the first blades he wielded so that his enemies were instantly overwhelmed at the ease with which he could wield the combination.

He'd also collected blades from the Sith who had been the most challenging to him when he was proving himself as Verrin's apprentice and assassin. Thus he not only had the third one which was strapped across his back in the guise of a vibrosword, he had two more strapped above it. At his belt were twelve more blades in addition to the two he already used on a normal basis as well as two more stored in his wrist gauntlets so that they could be shot into his hands. Sometimes, he liked to display his prowess in the Force by using ten of the blades at his belt for telekinetic combat but simultaneously create doppelgangers that could fight as well as he could.

Thus it was that he won both by dominating his enemies and outmaneuvering them with his powers, a trait Verrin respected. "Brute strength alone is never enough to defeat an enemy such as another Sith or a Jedi Knight. So it is that I am glad that you took to using a combination of trickery and ruthless skill in order to win your battles," the older Zabrak had once remarked. Now, he'd have a chance to test his abilities against a Jedi though he confessed he would have loved to test it on Verrin's enemies in the Dark Council or even the Emperor. Still, perhaps defeating the sworn enemy of all Sith Lords would be the way he proved his worthiness once and for all.

Perhaps his master was sending him on this mission to be certain that he was ready for the kinds of assassinations that he dreamed of. On top of not having been revealed to the Council as Verrin's apprentice, he knew he could make sure his victims never communicated his existence to their allies. Most of all when they usually saw him in the guise of his birth heritage whenever Verrin sat down to meet on the Council, his presence concealed from his Master's peers. No matter, in time he would not only have the lightsabers of his master's enemies but he would also have their skulls, a trophy from opponents he respected.

To his thinking, taking the lightsabers of those who challenged him was manners enough but he figured that because the Dark Council were the twelve most powerful besides the Emperor, they'd be different. With their power, they would surely be respectable enough to where taking their lightsabers as trophies would be an insult where it hadn't been elsewhere. So, taking their heads and boiling the flesh so he could keep their skulls would be the way to show them respect for the challenge that they would present. Once he had their skulls, perhaps he would take his Master's own as one of the last trophies before he faced the Emperor and usurped his place in fair combat.

At any rate, he was content to serve Verrin for now and content to bring the child that Verrin's surveillance described in intimate detail. He reckoned the Jedi would start his travels to Dantooine by heading for Ord Cestus and getting himself on the trade routes. For purposes of disguise, he was taking a transport that would make him look more like a smuggler or a mercenary than Sith. At worst, he'd look like a Mando'a who had killed several Force-sensitives and claimed their lightsabers for trophies.

Arriving at Ord Cestus, he asked around and found out a few things which confirmed his Master's details. He was able to receive confirmation of the Nautolan's name, Inoy Llimetch, and his Sith-killing career. Apparently, apart from the recently-deceased Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas, Inoy was one of the most feared and respect Knights in the Order. Which made the fact that Darth Khonsu was headed off to face him all the more exciting than it might've been already.

But Khonsu would've really loved to face down the warrior responsible for killing the Brother's Bane. Apparently, he had done the work with little more than an ax and a shield with the brother known as Rudra then dispatched the one called Agni within two saber strikes. If that was true then he too would be an excellent challenge for the young Kaleesh apprentice. Even so, he also discovered that finding the Human would be a lot more difficult than it was the week before.

Apparently, he'd busted a former corporate tycoon for cruel experimentations that were intergalactic violations of ordinance over Bandomeer then disappeared. With his record cleared, it seemed that he had decided to head back home while the boy had gone with the Nautolan first to Dathomir then back to the temple on Dantooine. So confronting the Human would have to wait until he found out about the Nautolan and the Zabrak. But he was a hunter at heart and hunters were nothing if they weren't patient during the chase and relentless in the catch. And he liked to believe he had been well trained for the purpose of hunting by the man he called Master for most of his life.

When he had asked for more information, he had been told to consider going to Coruscant. There, the boy would most likely have been tested for Force-sensitivity with the best technology and then turned over to a foster home if he'd come back negative. This meant going into the very heart of Republic Space and testing his powers of concealment against the most powerful members of the Jedi Order. Reporting this back to his Master, he asked for the only sensible thing he could at the time: guidance on where he should direct his search next.

"Hang tight on Denon for now then see if Inoy comes through. Once you find him, interrogate him on the boy and bring that kid in no matter what it takes. If he says anything that confirms my hunch that he is my long lost son, kill the Jedi and anyone protecting the boy. Your orders are to not stop until you have either captured him and successfully brought him back to Dathomir or perished in the attempt," said the holographic figure of his Master.

Khonsu only nodded, understanding the logic behind his Master's stratagem about heading to Denon. It was a trade route world that would see much traffic going through and that included far more than a few Jedi Knights. If Inoy was allied to the Human who'd killed the Brothers Bane in any way, he would have to go through that world. He'd even have to stop for fuel in his ship and information along the way there.

Plus the bait of a strong Sith presence would likely be too much for him to resist once Khonsu dropped his Concealment. There was always the risk, however, that because he couldn't use the Force whilst concealing then he would miss the Jedi and not know when he arrived. But he'd had a long enough time period to figure out that sensing beings through the Force tended to work regardless of Concealment. He could then ambush the Jedi and figure out what the story was on the young Zabrak that was in his company.

Once he knew where the boy was, he could then find out how the hell to retrieve him from the clutches of the Republic for Verrin to examine. "To defeat the Jedi, you will have to know how they operate. However, something that we know already is that they are compassionate to the extreme. They will save hostages who deserve to die, any time there is such a terrorist insurrection in progress," Verrin said.

It was when he said that that the wheels in his mind began to turn, thanking his master for the subtle hint he had dropped. Would the best situation for catching the Nautolan be to create a hostage situation, right here on Denon, then call him out specifically? If the Jedi were so compassionate that they would try to save the masses when security couldn't, it was strategically sensible. As he thought carefully, he began looking around for places that he could hold hostage in order to stage the trap for the young Nautolan Jedi.

Once he came, he would kill the hostages then capture the Jedi for interrogation on the matter of the boy in his company. After he had all that he wished to know about the Jedi's young companion, he'd kill him and proceed from there. "Thank you, Master. Your advice is as wise as it is generous," Khonsu said before shutting off his comlink. Underneath the mask he wore so that his face could not be identified, he began contemplating the sort of place where he would attempt such a daring deed.

He would also need command over the kinds of resources where he could do it without revealing his skill with a lightsaber just yet. Some sort of mercenary group that was willing to fight with him in return for the credits he'd promise at the end of this artificial crisis. Looking through the list, he actually found about half a dozen that could serve his purposes just fine. Only two of them had the numbers that would allow him to successfully mastermind such a crisis and fortunately, they were easy to pay off. Now, it was just a matter of acquiring the right target for their mission.


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

Shortly after the duel with Hyperion, Polydeuces had deactivated his lightsaber and decided to reevaluate how he was approaching this enigma of the Sith warrior. Here was a man clearly of the Dark Side who sought absolution for the things that he had done. A man who sought amnesty for the graveyards he filled, the families he destroyed, the animals he butchered. And worst of all, he was getting the absolution he so longed for in every single case just because there were worse men that he'd led the Jedi to!

He couldn't believe he was saying this but he needed help. His first mission as a Jedi Knight and he already needed help from outside sources. And as if sympathizing with his cause, the Force seemed to reward his desire to see Hyperion destroyed. Because a young human woman manifested with a Weequay bodyguard who, unlike other bodyguards, carried two lightsabers at his belt. "Hello young Jedi, I am Morgause daughter of Patricia Brilliante and Hyperion Algethii.

"Or rather I should say, the unwilling rape child of those two and just my luck that I am not Force-sensitive. This Weequay in my company is Seth al Ugolio, once a companion and ally to Hyperion who now seeks his destruction as I do," the woman said. Polydeuces regarded the woman with suspicion, why in the universe would she want to help a Jedi and a Dark Jedi destroy a fallen Sith Warrior? He sensed she wasn't of the Force which explained why she couldn't do it herself but why was it these people?

"You sound like you wish to offer me a place at your side, helping this Weequay destroy Hyperion. What do you gain from it?" Polydeuces asked.

"First off, my only aim for the moment is to capture my father so that I may interrogate him. Once I have what I need to know from him, I will kill him myself: slowly and painfully. Second, did you have a better idea in mind for defeating him? I imagine you weren't doing so well on your own or else you wouldn't be in this situation," Morgause replied. Polydeuces bit back what he was about to say when she observed that he wasn't doing the greatest job of fighting Hyperion on his own.

"I know where he's headed, I managed to splice into his ship's navicomputer for the coordinates to their next two destinations. It looks like Hyperion is booked only for as far as Ando Prime which is consistent with where my team originally found him," Polydeuces told her.

"Then that is where we will go. Seth, gather our forces and tell them we set for Ando Prime. My father will _not_ escape me this time, he will be made to face up to what he did to my mother and denying my aunt Morgana her retribution. And we came prepared as well, our men are armed purely with slugthrowers so there's no chance he can deflect our fire with his lightsaber. We also have nets known to bind Jedi Masters and we even have darts that have been known to dull rancors within seconds. More, we have numbers on our side and therefore can cover more ground at the same distance Hyperion can, there'll be nowhere for him to hide," Morgause said.

"The troops will draw him out where we can confront him ourselves then ensure his capture from there. Nothing that a few explosives in the forests can't solve if push comes to shove. You coming with us?" Seth added. He bore the scars of his run-ins with Jedi and Sith alike, that much Polydeuces could tell. Chiefest among these scars were slash marks across the right side of his face from where he'd likely taken a saberstaff there.

He also bore a bulky mechanical left arm from where a lightsaber had severed the original appendage from his body. "Quit your gawking and answer my question, kid! Are you joining us or not?" the Weequay said after a moment.

"Yes, of course, sorry. Let's hope Master Octavian doesn't catch word of this," Polydeuces admitted.

"Master Octavian? Like Dantius Octavian?" Seth inquired.

"You know him? He was my master when I was a Padawan," Polydeuces asked.

"He cut off my arm in our first duel. How funny that his former Padawan should be fighting beside me against his brother, eh?" Seth replied before clapping his shoulder with his right hand. Then he whistled to some nearby mercenaries who at once materialized and secured the area for their employers. Polydeuces recognized the banner of these people, knew them for the killers they were famed for being the minute he saw them.

Morgause wasn't kidding when she said she had a plan for taking down her father, this much was clear. But what he had to wonder was if Hyperion was going to anticipate a group attack on his homeworld and prepare accordingly. On Ando Prime, Hyperion would have the home advantage with familiarity of the terrain and his experience taking down killers like these men. The moment they opened fire and revealed they were carrying slugthrowers, Polydeuces knew that he was going to be changing tactics to deal with it. Once he saw that Seth al Ugolio and Polydeuces were teaming up to take him down, tactics would change even more so that he could isolate them then destroy them.

But Polydeuces had a feeling that keeping things to himself would be of greater benefit to him than revealing it to Morgause. Besides, he didn't fully trust her or her caravan just yet so he needed to maintain some cards he could play on them in case she tried to dupe him at all. Plus, Seth was armed with a grudge more than fifteen years old and a pair of lightsabers that he had similar levels of experience wielding. If he could somehow use them to weaken Hyperion first then somehow take the credit for capturing him, his conduct would be considered less treasonous to the Jedi Order.

It would also prove he wasn't worthy of being demoted back to Padawan status by the will of the Council, that he could in fact function just fine without his old Master. That he could function without the aid even of the scared older Nautolan Inoy Llimetch who'd held him back on this mission. So as he boarded Morgause's transport, he decided it would be good to see if he could learn a little more about this most unusual character. She wasn't Force-sensitive yet she had the wealth and strategic ability to take the battle to any Force-sensitive she chose.

Additionally, she mentioned an aunt named Morgana which made him wonder if she was related to the Sith witch initially called Morgana before becoming Darth Minshuto. It lined up just right and the fact that Seth was carrying one of Darth Minshuto's lightsabers meant that he was either a participant in her death or had been involved in some way. He decided to finally take Inoy's advice about sizing up and researching an enemy before attacking in order that he might examine these ones rather than take their word that they were dependable. "Morgause, you said your aunt was Morgana... not by any chance the same Morgana who became the Dark Lady Darth Minshuto before the end of the war?" Polydeuces asked.

"The very one, why do you ask?" Morgause replied.

"Because I heard what was said about her death, that her own Dark Side power internalized and ripped her apart when she failed to perform a feat of alchemy. Is that the story you have known?" Polydeuces inquired.

"It was a feat of Sith alchemy meant to draw Hyperion's soul from his body wherever he was at in the galaxy. But it failed when a strike team of Jedi defeated Seth, bypassed the resources she had taken command of, and even defeated her most prized apprentice. When this said apprentice then fled for Imperial Space and Seth came back to Taris to retrieve me, they destroyed enough of the artifacts she'd amassed for her ritual that the power consumed her. Among the Jedi on the strike team were your former Master Dantius and his former lover Ashlynn Thorin as well as ex-Jedi Knight Coventry Despereaux. That is all you need know about what happened to my aunt for the time being, shall we jump into hyperspace for Mon Gazza then Ando Prime beyond?" she explained, making the order to jump with her ending question.

As the void of lightspeed consumed their view of the cosmos, Polydeuces thought carefully about what the girl had said. Where he was standing, she couldn't have been more than her early twenties but had far too much money to worry about legal guardians. Not when she had a bodyguard like Seth and mercenaries at her disposal amongst other servants. Yet there was still a hint of something guarded in her voice whenever she spoke of her aunt or any member of her family for that matter. Curious, he decided to find out just how successful she'd been in killing other Force-sensitives.

"Will Hyperion be your first Force-sensitive claim or have your men killed others before?" Polydeuces asked.

"The mercenaries here have all taken Jedi and Sith heads alike before, especially when the war escalated in the wake of Zakuul's destruction. Seth has killed Jedi, by and large, but he has had to claim the lives of a few Imperial Sith on occasion. Only I have never been against another Force-sensitive before," Morgause told him. Now, everything was beginning to add up: Seth and the mercenaries might have had experience in destroying Force-sensitives but she herself didn't. And he couldn't help but notice the slightest twinge of fear and uncertainty in her voice, despite her confidence in the victory that was to come from their alliance. Information he intended to exploit for his gain later on, if he had to but otherwise he filed away in his mind's depths.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Inoy knew he had to intercept Polydeuces once he heard the news that the young human had been in contact with the reclusive youthful financier Morgause and her company. Apparently, she had struck a deal where he would join her merry band which included a scarred Weequay with a left mechanical arm and in return, they would together ensure Hyperion's defeat. The Weequay was someone Inoy already knew from the description to be Seth al Ugolio, his nemesis from when he'd traveled the stars with Hyperion as a Padawan. If the Nautolan went back to Ando Prime, it would mean settling his old scores with the Weequay and dealing with whatever other perils awaited him.

He'd also read into Morgause's past, learning of her inheritance from her grandparents, mother, and her aunt. Worst of all, he'd also learned that her mother had produced her out of a rape and considering she was chasing Hyperion it was easy to see who the rapist was. It was also easy to see that she wanted revenge against Hyperion because of what happened to her mother. So it looked like all the remaining pieces of the Sith Warrior's old life were converging in one place and Polydeuces was at the center of it.

He reported as much back to the Grandmaster who had been hoping to speak with him on the matter of Menelaus and the nature of his connection to the Force. Even so, when these reports came back, the Grandmaster took what might have been considered extreme action with anyone else. "Jedi Knight Polydeuces is a traitor to the Order and to the Republic. He has chosen to forswear his obligation to peace and justice in favor of chasing a man whose record has now been completely cleaned. Therefore, he is to be brought in if possible or else he is to be killed in battle," said the Grandmaster.

The war was still fresh on the minds of the Jedi Order and any trace of the Dark Side that could be eliminated had to be. Therefore, Inoy knew what the job sometimes entailed before he even had to go to Ando Prime. "When I return, I still want to have that conversation about the boy I discovered on Bandomeer. I believe what I have uncovered about him may yet affect the Jedi Order in profound ways that we've yet to begin examining," Inoy told him.

The old Grandmaster nodded and assured Inoy that there would be time yet for that conversation that he had promised about Menelaus. "Although I must wonder why we couldn't have it over comm?" asked the old human.

"Let me give you a hint of what I suspect to be true. When I was looking at the illustrations and reading what little of the writing I understood, there was a name on the wall attributed to what I suspect is Menelaus. Lord Verrin had called his newborn son Surik, sound familiar?" Inoy replied.

"I believe it does but allow me some time to look it up in the archives in case I misunderstood you. It should take enough time for you to reach Ando Prime and complete your new mission," the Grandmaster reluctantly admitted. Inoy could sense a certain sadness wafting off him like he had expected great things of Polydeuces only to be so greatly disappointed by him. To be fair, Inoy couldn't blame him: they'd both seen the horrors the Sith were capable of and had hoped beyond hope that the end of the war would be the end of this sort of darkness. But as the Dark Side always lived on even when the Light had prevailed, neither could expect its influence to diminish too quickly.

"If I cannot bring him in, do I help Hyperion? This is assuming Polydeuces and his new friends have attacked Hyperion by this time," Inoy inquired.

"Yes, Hyperion's records have been cleared and if need be, he has our permission to kill the traitor. He will not be held liable for anything that happens to Polydeuces from this point forward, provided he doesn't interfere with the procurement of his body. If nothing else, we can bring it back to give Dantius closure on the subject of his former Padawan, should Polydeuces be killed," the Grandmaster replied, approving Inoy's request. The Nautolan nodded and thanked him for the news that he would be allowed to help Hyperion.

He was even more grateful that Hyperion finally been pardoned of his crimes against the Jedi Order. This meant he now had a completely cleaned record and could afford to start again once he drove off these lasts shards of his past deeds. So as Inoy watched the void of blue-white fire marking lightspeed swallow everything, he evaluated his situation. The mercenaries that accompanied Morgause typically wielded slugthrowers so that they could battle against Force-sensitives such as Hyperion and himself. This meant that he would have to rely on Hyperion's tactical knowledge of Ando Prime in order to be of any assistance.

As for lightsaber skills, Hyperion brought expertise (at minimum) in all seven of the forms. His specialties lied in Juyo, Makashi, and some elements of Soresu that allowed him to then counterattack in accordance with Djem So. Inoy on the other hand only really brought in mastery of Soresu, some skills in Shien and Makashi, with definite expertise in Jar'Kai and Niman. In truth, he didn't feel like he added much but that was until he realized that if there was a way for him to take to the water while Hyperion took to the surface, there could be an added advantage for them. If there was only some way to warn Hyperion of the onslaught that awaited him when he returned to Ando Prime, now.

Hyperspace communication wasn't the greatest so far and the technology was slow to develop. Instead, he would need to see if he could reach Mon Gazza and warn him of the onslaught before it arrived to Ando Prime, it could give him the time he needed to lend help. It was from there that he intended to see what he could do about reaching out to Polydeuces to warn him of what had been decided by the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. If he could use that leverage to persuade him to come back and face trial then he could prevent much of what he knew would happen before it could.

But something told him that Polydeuces was going to be too hard headed to be reasoned with. Too stubborn to listen, his slip into the Dark Side would be complete the more time he spent around Seth al Ugolio. That brought up another issue, how to divide Polydeuces from Seth al Ugolio so that Hyperion wasn't overwhelmed by their onslaught. Individually, both would fall before him but their combined skill (especially if he was slowed down by drugs or blaster bolts) could defeat him.

Once he arrived to Mon Gazza, he tried to reach Polydeuces via comlink to inform him of the Grandmaster's decision. But he suspected that Polydeuces' comlink was destroyed because he couldn't even raise the frequency, much less reach him. Most likely, he knew that he was about to become a traitor to the Republic and to the Jedi Order thus destroyed it. This meant that the signal couldn't be traced in the space that the Republic controlled unless he made a credit purchase. Combine that with his funds being limited and prone to being cut off when they were on the Republic payroll, all the worse for him.

Then he decided to reach out to Hyperion, to see if he could warn him about the incoming onslaught before him. He couldn't raise him either, making this an impossible situation for him whether he liked to admit it or not. So it was that he paid for his ship to be refueled for the short jumps to and from Ando then contemplated how he was going to find Hyperion. He could feel him in the Force, he'd been on the planet Mon Gazza recently and so he knew he wasn't far on his trail.

Unfortunately, he could also sense the combined presences of Polydeuces and Seth al Ugolio which meant that Morgause and her mercs weren't far behind. So time was short and if Inoy intended to be the help that Hyperion needed him to be, he needed to move and fast. He had barely paid for his fuel before he was on the move once more and headed for the cold tundra world that had seen this journey begin. And Inoy was going to be needing dry layers once he returned from any underwater endeavor he attempted to aid Hyperion in destroying his enemies.

He would also need to waterproof his lightsaber or make sure that it was sufficiently waterproofed already so that he could ignite it below their foes' feet. Otherwise, the tactic was doomed to failure from the start and Hyperion would be gunned down before Inoy could really help him. Then he himself would likely be killed for helping Hyperion and left in the cold to freeze as yet another corpse the world tended to hide.

He needed an alternative plan for getting out of that situation or if there was no water available for that kind of two-way attack that he knew would help Hyperion for certain. But that also meant he would have to be quick with any stratagem he had in mind once he was underwater. Seth wasn't going to just wait around and let him finish cutting the ice beneath his feet or something similar. Plus, there was still the matter of those forty mercenary troops that would be joining the two Force-sensitives in descending to that world.

And the matter of arresting Morgause when the time came for that to occur, as she was conducting a dangerous criminal activity that was highly illegal under Republic law. All in the name for revenge against the father who forced himself on her mother, conceiving the child in a fit of spiteful rage. _Oh Hyperion, why did you have to be so lawless when you were my age? Look at what's happening now that you're older and you have sufficiently settled down for people to decide they want you dead_ the young Jedi thought as he plugged in the coordinates for the trip to Ando Prime.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Hyperion sensed trouble almost as soon as he returned home. He knew that the Jedi would not stop pursuing him but he hadn't suspected it would be so soon after their duel. There was also the stench of familiar presences about him, auras he'd not had to sense in many years. Curious, he lifted his eyes to the vault of the Ando sky and utilized Force Sight to see if any suspicious ships were coming in. As fate would have it, not only was there one that enwrapped itself in an invisibility cloak but Polydeuces was aboard along with two others.

One of them he recognized to be Seth al Ugolio, both because he was a Weequay and because he gave him some of the scars that decorated his face. But the other looked much like Patricia had when she first met Hyperion though he knew it couldn't be her. After giving birth to the daughter they conceived in his raping her, she'd taken the time to recover then killed herself. Was it possible that this was his long-lost daughter come to make him pay for what he'd done to her mother, for creating her? _Great, I disappear eleven years then come back and everyone wants a piece of me instantly_ Hyperion thought grimly.

He also sensed another familiar presence but this one was friendlier and likely on the way to aid him against the monstrosity before him. A monstrosity, he had to remind himself, he'd created when he had his way with Patricia so many years before. If he could only take back the things he'd done with but a gesture, go back across time and stop himself from doing those misdeeds. Hell, if only he had been able to turn back the clock so that he could tell his seven year old self to refute the comforts of the false affection his grandfather displayed.

But there was no time for lamentation, he was a few parsecs away from the forest and if he could just reach the trees before he could be gunned down, he'd have a chance to stop them. He also stocked up on his arsenal beforehand, in the off chance he was going to confront a larger group than his lightsaber could handle. In his possession were more shurikens, thermal detonators that he hid in the opposite cavity in his mechanical arm, and a blaster pistol. He also still possessed his shield as well as another spear and one of his spare axes.

The aforementioned ax came with a cavity for dispensing one of his more infamous weapons in the form of EMPs that could down every bit of technology on his enemies. But in order for it to be done, it had to land on something like another one of his daughter's cronies which worked for him just fine. He also took a few of his infamous laser field machines that would allow him to vaporize anyone coming at an angle he couldn't control. Best part was that if any of the soldiers coming had slugthrowers, the projectiles would not only be vaporized but the equivalent kinetic energy would be reflected back in the form of artificial blaster bolts.

Thus, he needed only get to a position where he could maximize this arsenal and the smoke grenades he brought along so that he could endure the fight. Ideally, he wanted to avoid landing himself in a position where he'd have to use his lightsaber to deflect any incoming fire and with good reason. Slugthrowers were specifically designed with the intent of being difficult, if not impossible, to deflect with a lightsaber. Hyperion already had experience trying to deflect one such blast and needless to say, he couldn't feel anything in his hand for a month. No, he wanted to reduce the numbers to as small a size as possible then finish them off with a combination of smoke grenades and his blaster pistol before facing Seth and Polydeuces.

If need be, he could also throw his shield into any surviving enemy from a machine that'd allow him to shoot it at such velocity that it'd slice into his opponent. He need only to act like he was going to punch at the air to trigger it then follow through to launch. So it was that the great Hyperion Algethii prepared to fight for his life with every ounce of genius and strength he possessed. He would also need to find out if Inoy had come to help him and figure out the best way the Nautolan could do so if he had indeed come. Not to mention find out if his daughter would leave only guards with regular blasters behind because she wasn't counting on Inoy coming to his aid.

If she did that then it proved she was much too inexperienced to succeed in taking her father down in any case. Should Inoy be able to arrest her, it would cut the head off the beast that Seth and Polydeuces now represented to Hyperion. If they were wise, they would give up at that point and head on back, perhaps even surrender themselves to Republic custody. But something told Hyperion that even if that happened, the only way they could be enticed was if they saw a large enough Republic vanguard come for them that they'd have no choice.

Something like the kind of law enforcement brigade that usually deterred hardened criminals from attempting to leave maximum security prisons came to mind as an example. In the meantime, he'd have to bet that Inoy was the only help he would get and plan accordingly. This way, even if the Jedi failed to be of any assistance against their mutual Force-sensitive enemies, Hyperion could still say he went down with a fight. So help him, by the Force, he was going to prove to his daughter the futility in pursuing revenge as he had been taught. That thought made him wonder: had the Force willed him to fail in his revenge against Dantius in the hopes he could teach the lesson to the enemies he created in pursuing it?

 **The plan that Morgause** had in mind was fairly simple where catching Hyperion was concerned. She would send all forty of her slugthrower wielding troops ahead to try and draw him out since he couldn't deflect their fire with his lightsaber. Hell, he'd barely have the strength to deflect it with the metal shield Polydeuces had mentioned seeing on his person when he first began the hunt. "He also had a bigger arsenal at the time but he seems to have exhausted it for good, aside from the shield," Polydeuces told her.

Meantime, the ten that wielded standard issue blasters were to stay with Morgause and keep her guarded against any intrusions. She figured that since her mercenaries were feared throughout the galaxy for sometimes taking the fight to Mandos, she had nothing to fear here. Even Jedi Masters like those on the Council would be wise to stay away from the bunch that she had recruited, if they could. Once they had done their part and flushed Hyperion out of the forest and away from the mountains, Seth and Polydeuces would exchange lightsaber blows until his defenses were broken down utterly.

Then the Jedi would be returned to Dantooine and left to his fate while Morgause would interrogate her father at great length. She still didn't trust working with the Jedi and put him up with Seth for that reason. Best part that she had only told Seth himself was that if the Jedi tried anything funny, Seth had standing orders to end his life and continue the mission alone. But since the Jedi needed them far more than they needed him, Morgause didn't expect that he would be turning against them anytime soon.

"Suppose Hyperion has more weapons, however. The kind that could kill your men without exhausting very much of his own energy before we fight him. What do you intend to do then?" Polydeuces asked.

"If you're afraid, you're welcome to sit this one out," Seth taunted. Before Polydeuces could speak, Morgause raised a hand for both of them to stop talking while she spoke.

"I'll sacrifice every bit of firepower I have if that's what it takes to bring in my father for what he did. Whether or not he has any weapons beside his lightsaber and that shield, he is not escaping me now. Seth, make sure this one does his part and I may even consider sending him off with a few credits for food and fuel," Morgause replied. Polydeuces knew then that he'd gotten in over his head but he no longer cared, not when it meant a chance to bring an end to another trace of the Dark Side.

Let Inoy chase visions of the old Empire on Dathomir if he wished, Hyperion was very much real and an enemy of everything the Jedi Order stood for. "The credits will be appreciated for only that purpose and nothing else when this is over. I'll only need a small shuttle for myself and the most essential supplies in order to make the journey home," Polydeuces told her. She nodded and assured him that there was one such shuttle that would be on spare when he had accomplished his part. He simply needed to do it first to convince her to expend such resources to him for his journey back to Dantooine.

Frankly, she was convinced that he would be hung up and left to dry for treason against the Order. But what did it matter when he had completed his purpose to her plans for her father in helping Seth bring him in? "That reminds me, what if the Nautolan follows?" Polydeuces asked. Morgause hadn't considered that possibility but now that the young Human Jedi had raised it, it was worthy of consideration.

She thought long and hard before answering the only answer she could give for having not previously factored him into her plans. "We do what we can if he helps Hyperion and hope he dies with him. If he is every bit as skilled as you implied on the way here, he will prove formidable. Perhaps even powerful enough to turn things in my father's favor once you and Seth have flushed him out," she admitted.

They landed soon after and prepared to fan out across the forest where scanners had last picked up on Hyperion's presence. Polydeuces marched ahead with the forty men who would be joining the expedition and Seth watched them all go. "I'll let you know if he dies at Hyperion's hand or if I had to nudge things in that direction. His tongue is too loose for his own good, if you ask me," Seth said, code for asking permission to kill him anyway. Morgause nodded approval, knowing the kind of liability he was.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

Rather than let the mercenaries do him in on their terms, Hyperion led the forty or so men on a chase meant to wear them down instead. Where he knew the best paths and had conserved his energy throughout the entirety of the journey, they could barely put one foot in front of the other by the time he was ready to fight them. He started by using all three thermal detonators to take out nearly a quarter of them, killing eight and critically wounding the last two when he was done. Four more were injured by their proximity to the critically wound but they weren't done yet.

Leaving the wounded to die in the snow, after shooting them all with his pistol, he used his shurikens to kill six more which left him with only half the company that hunted him. So naturally they came at him in the areas where he has set up his laser field, four in each of the three directions he'd secured. When the energy was reflected back on them, they were no match and so it was that he'd used the spear to kill one, thrown the ax to fatally wound another, then launched the EMPs from it. He defeated the last six by shooting out his smoke grenades whilst the EMPs still downed their infrared abilities and shot his last four shots into the sextet.

Leaving just two left, he impaled one on his hunter's knife then shot his shield at the last one, reducing himself even further than the Clyde Rev incident on Bandomeer. The process had taken a total of three standard months and he knew the Force-sensitives in his daughter's tow would be growing impatient by this time. He also knew that Inoy would be almost as lost as the mercenaries were except for the part where he could sense Hyperion's presence and follow it. When he had destroyed the company of forty at long last, the Nautolan emerged though he wasn't as wearied as the mercenaries were.

Apart from having all the nutrition he could ever need in the bars the Jedi usually ate, he had also taken the paths of least resistance as both of them knew was wise. "Took you long enough to find me. Are you ready to settle things with Seth and Polydeuces?" Hyperion asked.

"So you know that they're here too, eh? I'll see what I can do about bringing down Polydeuces while you destroy Seth. You two have a bigger score to settle anyway, even if I'm the reason it's there at all," Inoy said, remembering their adventures. Hyperion clasped his shoulder with a strong hand and shook his head to tell his friend the contrary.

"Seth and I were running into problems getting along before you arrived. It was simply that at best, you were the spark which ignited the kennel of our disagreements. Nothing more and definitely a lot less where I'm standing. We should finish this while I still have strength to fight one of them," Hyperion said. Inoy nodded his agreement and pointed out where he had last seen their enemies approaching toward them.

At a clearing opposite the one where the mercenaries were left to be buried in the snow, Hyperion and Inoy waited for their mutual enemies. When Polydeuces and Seth finally materialized, the Jedi and ex-Sith duo were ready for them. "I had a feeling that the mercenaries wouldn't be enough to destroy you. And what have we here? A traitor helping Hyperion prevail against the odds?" Polydeuces taunted.

"I was granted permission to aid Hyperion in any way I could because the Grandmaster had dubbed you the traitor. You disobeyed orders, ran away from the temple even when told to stay, and fought against the man I'd been assigned to either bring in, kill, or clear of charges in anyway legally possible. Hyperion has a clean slate from both the Order and the Republic now which means the Grandmaster has confirmed your exile," Inoy replied. Polydeuces seemed galvanized by the news that he was ousted as a traitor by the very Order that he had believed in.

"So... this is how I am repaid for pursuing a very real trace of the Dark Side in the galaxy? While you ran off to Dathomir with the kid and let him disburse his ashes among ghosts, I'm the traitor!?" Polydeuces demanded.

"We actually found a sliver of the empire still remaining there, I even killed two acolytes in order to make sure we survived. The Council was simply persuaded to realize there are bigger fish to hook on the line than Hyperion," Inoy told him. That counter seemed to do in any hope of rationality that Polydeuces might have had in the moments before. Even Hyperion and Seth had to admit it was impressive to hear the news that the Sith still held on in Dathomir. But it surprised neither of the darker Force-sensitives that this was so considering their own experiences with the Empire.

"Enough talk, I've got a score to settle with Hyperion and you two Jedi can hash out whatever's going on between you while I do so. I do believe it's been a while, Hyperion. You know, there was a little while where I sincerely thought you were dead after Nar Shaddaa," Seth said. He ignited one purple and one red blade as he spoke, preparing for battle with the enemy he'd sworn to destroy all those years before.

"And you had told the Jedi to stop talking," Hyperion replied as he ignited his stolen yellow blade. The two of them began clashing blades with Seth revealing incredible skill in Jar'Kai since they had last confronted each other. Meanwhile, the arctic blue blades of Polydeuces and Inoy clashed with the former revealing another secret. His hilt could expand until it became a lightsaber pike at will, a trick he'd learned from his studies of Zakuul when he was Dantius' Padawan.

The blade itself also had a dual-phased mode that could be triggered at either hilt size and Polydeuces exploited it greedily. He also let his teleportation trick offset Inoy's defenses and deliver some scathing flesh wounds to the Nautolan including the loss of a couple tendrils from his head. Meanwhile, Hyperion fought off Seth with the combination of defending and aggressively counterattacking that had served him well in previous battles between the two of them. Seth was still taken aback by the skill with which Hyperion wielded it but it was like he had trained specifically for tackling his former ally. Worse for Hyperion, the fact that the blade he possessed was still comparatively unfamiliar to him meant that he didn't yet know the limits of the counterattacks he performed with it.

Seth must have caught onto this because he twirled each blade individually then ducked down and twirled them simultaneously ahead of him to try and trip Hyperion. More than once, when it looked like Hyperion would gain the edge, Seth merely used his Force Dash trick to run out of the situation and fight him at another angle. But where Polydeuces could only teleport about three or four times and still have power to fight, Seth could go on with the dashes. Unfortunately for the Weequay, Hyperion knew from previous duels that the more a trick like Force Dash was used, the more predictable the user became.

So when Seth made what must have been his seventeenth passing, Polydeuces by now routed by Inoys even if his weapon was still intact, Hyperion knew what to do. He stabbed at the left flank of his enemy who was then forced to swerve his lefthand blade in a half-circle designed to swat Hyperion's yellow weapon away from him. What he didn't know was that Hyperion needed that momentum to bolster his own horizontal strike for Seth's purple blade and knock it out of his hand. As soon as the Weequay saw what Hyperion did, he recognized it for what it was and became afraid. They clashed with arcing slashes and quick twirls with precise jabs from there on but Seth had clearly been counting on his Jar'Kai to be efficient enough for killing Hyperion.

Because as soon as he struck overhead, he left a big enough opening that Hyperion jabbed his blade at his shoulder. He wounded the Weequay at that point and Seth's defenses continued to deteriorate until Hyperion dealt him an excruciating blow. When Seth aimed for Hyperion's head with a horizontal arcing slash, Hyperion ducked low and counter with one of his own that pursued the same path as Seth's. The result was Seth's lower midsection being sliced deeply enough that Hyperion almost reached his spine.

Combined with a slash he'd previously endured to his left thigh, Seth was outmatched and retreating though he knew he had taken a great toll on Hyperion beforehand by way of the Human's strained breathing. "My boss and I will know vengeance, you'll see!" Seth said before limping from the battlefield. Hyperion decided to let him live, the ringing of his own heartbeat still caught in his ears but when it settled, he recognized the clashing of the Jedi blades. In the time that Hyperion was creaming Seth once more, Polydeuces had revealed that his pike could also be a saberstaff in addition to a traditional blade all without affecting the hilt's extension.

Overwhelmed by the spinning and twirling of the saberstaff feature in combination to enduring some slashes from Polydeuces' precision strikes, Inoy didn't have much time. Then his time ran out when Polydeuces surprised him by deactivating one end of his saberstaff then successfully performed a Pushing Slash to disarm the senior Jedi. Meanwhile, Hyperion recovered Seth's purple blade, deciding to use it in conjunction to his own in order to deal with the menace he saw before him. "Who's the traitor now, Inoy!? The Force has favored me, this day!" declared the fallen Knight.

But Hyperion ignited both the blades in his possession at that moment and said, "If you can kill me, it truly has. Come on now, I'm the one you've been seeking all this time!" Then they fought, both wearied down some by their previous duels which made the outcome uncertain.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

Hyperion couldn't blame Inoy for not recognizing the subtle nuances of the saberstaff and the lightsaber pike. Apart from his obvious inexperience in facing either weapon, most Jedi were never trained in its basics beyond what was already required to learn Niman. But Hyperion already knew the trick of extending the hilt to ridiculous lengths at intervals meant to trip an opponent off balance. He also already knew that where one blade landed, the other would follow in the opposite direction, making the saberstaff exceedingly predictable after a time.

In his early training, he had been taught that the precognition of both Jedi and Sith was hindered further by the options available to their blades. Those who chose to wield exotic weapons like the saberstaff or the lightwhip gave the illusion of more options in their choice of blades but were truthfully more limited than their traditionalist counterparts. Jar'Kai was similarly hampered for a similar reason as there was only so much one could do, even with a background of Makashi training included in their resume. Plus, Jar'Kai couldn't defend against power blows as Seth had been barely forced to observe.

So Hyperion already knew that he was going to make short work of Polydeuces' trickery before the younger Knight knew what had hit him. "Why... why do you even care about Inoy? You could've just walked away when you were done with Seth and saved yourself!" Polydeuces demanded. It was a fair question for someone who didn't know the kind of friend Inoy was to Hyperion and still remained even now. Hyperion didn't answer at first, preferring to answer one jab from one of Polydeuces' blades with only one of his own blades then defending with the other.

Then when he saw an opportunity to defeat his opponent, he didn't waste any time on the formal chattery of the duel. He merely looked at his opponent and told him, "The cycle of treason ends here. Dantius should've trained you better than this." Then he exploited the opportunity by first intercepting a jab made for his right eye by the young Jedi. Once he'd done this, he turned a hundred and eighty degrees so that his back face the young Jedi and shut off his yellow blade.

He knew what was going to happen next even before it could happen with the Jedi Knight trying to slice him in two with one blade only to be intercepted by Hyperion's newest weapon. As Polydeuces prepared to take off his leg by sweeping across with the other blade, Hyperion turned the blade end of his inactive hilt backwards then held it parallel to his thigh. He ignited it just in time to intercept Polydeuces' other blade with enough blade length leftover to gut him. Polydeuces' back arched over once before Hyperion deactivated his yellow blade first then pushed the boy away from him with his left arm.

The Jedi's blades went forever silent right as he hit the snow with a hard thud from his back and Hyperion's purple blade shut off at that point. Inoy rushed over, having sufficiently recovered at that point that he could attempt to soften Polydeuces' landing. "You... you did it. When I thought it was going to require the two of us, you managed to beat Seth and kill Polydeuces," Inoy said as he held the Human's head to his thigh. No amount of healing, they both knew, wouldn't save Polydeuces from such a wound as this without advanced technology.

Hyperion had seen to that himself by aiming his strike so that it also severed mobility in Polydeuces from the chest down by incinerating a vertebrate with its heat. "This is what my training has allowed me to do for most of my life, Inoy. I know you will be intimidated by it, perhaps even tempted to go back on your vow to help me in order to stop me. But know that I haven't yet used the Force Rage ability that usually gave me an edge in duels of this sort," Hyperion told him.

"I'm not intent on fighting you, Hyperion. Not unless I am again assigned to stop you as I have been this time round. But know that if I am again assigned to face you, I cannot give you anymore help than I have. I cannot let you go or find you another criminal to absolve you of your sins with... this is the end of the line for what I can legally do for you," Inoy said. Hyperion understood what his words meant for their relationship, understood that the next time they met, there had better be a damn good reason it couldn't be as enemies.

"Then know that you've already done more than your duty demanded you do. You placed my boy in the care of someone who will be kind to him, helped him deliver his mother's ashes to Dathomir. With the information I dug up for Clyde Rev's dirt, you had my record legally expunged by the Republic and persuaded the Council to pardon my crimes against the Order for the discovery of a Sith Remnant on Dathomir. You have been a truer friend and truer Jedi than I could've ever had the honor of knowing," Hyperion told him. Then Inoy surprised him with an offer that he viewed as flattering but suspected wouldn't work for him at all.

"Come with me, introduce yourself to the Council and face up to your sins in person. They might be inclined to let you live among them as a Blademaster as you already know Form VII by virtue of your training. I can endorse you and see that you are accepted among the ranks of the Order," Inoy begged. Oh how Hyperion wished he could say yes, just jump at the offer, and jump ship with Inoy to the Dantooine temple and become a Jedi. But he already knew the answer to the offer because he'd pondered what his life as a Jedi might have been like long before this chase began.

"Where there is even the slimmest chance that I can see Menelaus before he is of age again, I cannot be. I gave all I could so that he could find a good home without him being encouraged to run away in pursuit of me. Not when I'm part of a society of chaste Force users who wouldn't even allow me to see him again unless it aided a mission anyway. And I never was one for being kind and compassionate to the extent the Jedi require but I am also not one for the unbridled passions of the Sith. I am doomed to forever swing the pendulum between both Light and Dark for all the days of my life... but I thank you for the offer," Hyperion told him.

Inoy knew he was right and clipped Polydeuces' lightsaber to his own belt so that he might take everything back with him. Including the body of the Human Jedi which he carried over his shoulders like a sandbag. "Then this is the end for us, Hyperion. Dantius will have sensed his former Padawan's death across the stars. There's no telling if he will take over the mission for me or not, seeing as he is your brother," Inoy said. Hyperion nodded and Inoy set off on the journey to bring Polydeuces home and explain everything that happened.

In his brother's eyes, he was likely still the bad guy that he remembered from their final confrontation. But as long as Inoy knew better, Hyperion could rest easy at night even when Dantius inevitably returned for him. However, before the Nautolan was out of earshot, he issued a final warning that Hyperion knew to be all too true. "You can't stay here anymore. If you value your life, you must become nomadic again!" he said before he disappeared with the body.

Though he grumbled non-verbally, Hyperion knew that his old friend was right about staying on Ando Prime. If he stayed and Dantius was set after him, it wouldn't take long for the Jedi to find him and put an end to their rivalry forever. Hyperion knew Dantius could probably do it because he was technically the one who had the bigger portion of Force power. He had merely lacked the confidence to utilize it in every single duel Hyperion had ever had with him.

By and large, their rivalry had consisted of Hyperion setting some trap that was personal to his brother, luring him in, trading saber blows, then Dantius either running away or forcing Hyperion to do it. There had never been the kind of decisive victory that would forever end the rivalry between them and settle who was the best in the family. Now, he knew Dantius would not only overcome that lack of confidence but he would also be a lot stronger in the Force than he'd been even in their final confrontation. Worse, he would no longer believe his brother was beyond redemption whether or not Inoy presented evidence to the contrary.

And even if he did hold that belief, he had had enough experience with killing Sith that disposing of Hyperion would not be the same problem it once was. There was a lot to contemplate, Hyperion knew this to be true even as he watched his daughter's ship depart from Ando Prime. Odds were that he hadn't seen the last of her but that she had recognized the need to retreat and reevaluate her plan for beating her father. It was what he would've done if he were in her shoes and he knew it because he'd done it with Dantius more than once. He also saw Inoy's ship take off along his way back to the place he'd called home since promising to raise Menelaus when his mother perished.

He knew that a good meal and some sleep would mean that he could ponder better the next day. So when he got back to his cabin, he fetched some of the meat he'd had frozen and stuck a skewer into it before lighting a fire to cook it. As he rotated the meat when it needed to be and then served it to himself, he ate his fill until he had no need for it. Then he closed the door, unfolded the covers with the Force, and slipped into his bed to sleep.

It'd been a long journey and Menelaus wasn't home to take his bed as he usually did during their time together. Sleep didn't come easily, even with the food he had ingested mere moments before. But when it came, it came so hard that he would likely have never noticed any predators that were snooping around if he hadn't had the Force or an early alarm system. For more than five hours, only the void of darkness seen in sleep was all Hyperion could perceive.

All the while, the galaxy was continuing to change around him as he and the Jedi would soon discover. It was going to be a long night and probably an even longer decade, perhaps even more, ahead of him.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

Though her men were reeling at the setback caused by Seth being injured and the forty soldiers being killed, Morgause kept her head high and mighty. In fact, when Seth arrived, Morgause's first order of business was to have him finished off for failing his mistress. Then he was left where he fell without hope of burial or any funeral rites of any kind. "It would seem my father still has more fight left within him than I originally expected. No worries, this will just make this all the more fun for us than it originally was going to be," Morgause assured her remaining colleagues.

"How do you intend to recover from this damage, milady? You've had fifty mercenaries on your payroll and you just lost forty of them in a single go," said one mercenary.

"And we don't even have the equipment to survive going toe to toe with one such as him. How are we going to recover from that kind of loss?" said another. _I needed to clean out my payroll anyway, those forty dead will allow for more opportunities to expand my assets a little bit more. Too bad the lot of you will never find out how expendable you really were to me_ Morgause thought quietly. Aloud, however, she assured them that she already had a plan set in motion for fighting Hyperion once more.

"I have some contacts on Mustafar who could use the challenge. They have similar equipment to what your colleagues wielded but have a lot more experience than you. Killed Jedi and Sith alike in their prime time and will love the challenge," Morgause replied. At first, the mercs around her wondered what it was that she could be talking about. Mercenaries, Mustafar, then the pieces clicked and they paled all at once with fright.

"You're not seriously considering recruiting the Devils of Mustafar! Those people are savages who are just as apt to kill you as to kill whoever you pay them to attack," said the Captain of her remaining mercenaries. Morgause nodded, admitting that it was possible but she had a counter ready for just that.

"I know of the Devils' reputation and made the offer almost as soon as the forty soldiers set out. When they were destroyed, I got a response to the offer and they're interested in helping us. Their liaison is interested in meeting me to make sure that the money is cleaner than the pistols of his warriors," Morgause told them.

"And where do you intend to meet this liaison, milady?" asked the Captain of her remaining mercenaries. Morgause chuckled briefly and then replied to what it was that she had been asked by her Captain.

"I'm meeting him on Eriadu to discuss payment and make sure the credits are good to go. The Devils prefer unmarked credits since they tend to traverse across Republic and Hutt Space numerous times on their missions. Once we've settled a deal, the Devils will chase Hyperion across the galaxy and bring him to me alive for a greater pay than if he was dead," Morgause explained. The Captain scoffed at the idea that the liaison would accept such a payment out of hand and with good reason too. In making this deal, Morgause was approaching the most disreputable mercenaries in the galaxy whose only arguable mark of effectiveness was that once they took a job, they were thorough in getting it done.

Once, long before, the Devils had had a contract put out on Morgause's aunt Morgana and had very nearly succeeded. But when she managed to destroy the client, they disappeared into the unknown until she found need of them. Their abilities against Force-sensitives had not gone unnoticed by her and she even hired them for a few similar enemies of her own. She also taught her niece the value of keeping the likes of them in the back of her mind in case she had need of them. "It's always important to keep powerful groups like that in mind to understand why the Jedi are flawed in their approach to keeping peace and justice intact," Morgana had once told her niece.

Now, as her ship took off, she pondered whether or not she wanted anything done about that Jedi who'd aided Hyperion. Did she waste time and resources calling out a hit on him for his aid or did she let him live in the hopes that another ally of hers might kill him instead? Her network ran deep and she found herself admittedly debating whether to put a separate contract out on the Nautolan for his interference as well. Perhaps another ally of hers within the Republic could deal with him on her behalf as well and she knew plenty of assassins and bounty hunters who chose to operate there. And some of them were looking for work in any case which meant she'd have plenty more opportunities to take revenge against the Nautolan when she was ready to take it.

"Then may the Force save our souls when the Devils of Mustafar take more casualties than they need to for killing Hyperion. That's gonna be a truly costly day for all of us when they do it," said the Captain. Morgause knew what he was talking about but paid it no mind, the Devils needed only do their job and she would take care of costs. Once they had Hyperion or could confirm that he was dead, they'd have their deposit and then she would wait until another time to call upon them again.

Eriadu was as close to a midpoint between Mustafar and Ando as she could get without having to worry about fuel. It was also largely a straight shot back home from there where she could wait until the job was done as well. Duro was a good world to her and since Eriadu was along the route, it was largely a smooth ride back home even if it would be long. More, the Devils of Mustafar would have no interference in travel from her when they used the trade routes to try and find their quarry.

The Captain who spoke of collateral was referring, however, to the fact that whenever the Devils took a mission they usually tended not to care who they destroyed along the way. Women, children, it didn't matter as long as it meant they would get to their targets faster than they would if they spared them. They also tended to bring down entire buildings without regard to whether there were people still inside of them or not. This made it dangerous for client and target alike to hire them and usually marked the client as insanely desperate to be attempting such a feat.

But Morgause was like the Devils in that she didn't care about collateral either as long as she got what she ultimately wanted out of them. In this case, it meant either the successful capture or death of her father for the rape which resulted in Morgause existing today. It meant making him know the pain he caused her when she killed herself and the pain that he caused Morgause for making her an orphan. She would destroy half the galaxy if it meant succeeding in that mission and besides, most of the galaxy was rubbish anyway. Those who scrounged and scraped for food would not be missed when they were gone and most certainly weren't missed now by people of substance such as herself.

The Jedi pretended to care for their misfortune, pretended that they were there to better their lives and waved their lightsabers around at anyone who opposed that view. But in the end, the fact they were bound to Republic law meant they couldn't wrench the bulk of credits out of the wealthy such as Morgause and truly save those more decrepit souls they sought to help. Would letting them be killed by the Devils of Mustafar along the way to finding Hyperion truly be murder or would it be charity that the Jedi couldn't give? Least of all when it would be a permanent end to their wretched lives where the Jedi would have them perpetuate and procreate, dooming their spawn to the same cyclical existence as their predecessors.

As she plugged in the coordinates for the first of several jumps she would need to reach Eriadu, she thought carefully to her situation. She had barely more than her crew, operating her transport now and that meant the possibility that she may have to look into hiring the Devils more indefinitely. Whether or not they accepted her offer was entirely up to their liaison but she was convinced that if she could smooth talk him with the money she intended to offer, she could earn their alliance. Besides, by the same legalities that had allowed her to employ the previous batch of mercenaries, a cut out of all jobs the Devils did from there on would have to go to her and her funds weren't infinite.

Granted she still had more than she could ever need in this lifetime but it was not impossible for that scenario to change. She had, after all, liquidated all of Morgana's assets when she died and took their worth to combine it with her parents and her mother's. As long as she had only the well she created in doing it, the risk was there even if it was minimal that she would lose everything. She also invested in stocks with high risks which meant that even if the profits were greater than the losses, the losses would still pack enough punch over time.

Or rather, she should correct herself, it had the potential to pack enough punch to where she could lose everything. She had to wrap up this business with her father quickly and decisively in order to gain the freedom she needed to pursue her other enterprises with impunity. Once she was done with him, she'd also need to sell all the gear she had obtained for such purposes as she had in mind for him when he was captured. This way, she could cover her tracks and claim innocence even if a Jedi came to investigate the scene of any crimes she was alleged to commit.

All in all, she seemed like a genius but she was realizing the holes in her plans now more than ever before. Worst of all, she realized time was running out to either complete her plans or fix the loopholes in it. But what did it matter as long as the risk was worth it in the end and she had her revenge? That thought comforted her as they made the journey across the stars to her destination of Eriadu.


	38. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Hyperion could tell that the dream he was seeing before him was a vision of the future. Apart from being in a temperate forest he didn't recognize from Ando Prime, he'd also experienced precognition before. So he was able to recognize the signs when the visions came flashing before him like puffs of smoke from a dying engine. He also didn't see his cabin anywhere near him which was the dead giveaway that he wasn't on Ando Prime.

The last giveaway was the fact there was rain and thunder, telling him the world was warm enough for that sort of thing. As he scanned the field of his vision, he ran when he saw a Jedi starfighter come closing in on him, shooting at him from afar. It was a two-seater from what he could see, one for the pilot and one for the Jedi Knight that was awaiting him. He was able to survive it all and persevere with both his lightsabers at the ready, yellow and purple blades ignited simultaneously.

When he completed this transaction, he saw the Jedi Knight that was probably pursuing him land several meters in front of him and begin to gaze him down when he stood upright again. He was taller than Hyperion though only by about an inch or two, a single lightsaber dangling from his right waist and what skin Hyperion could see was olive-tanned. This Jedi also had a shaggy black beard that covered more than half his face, similar to how Hyperion's brown beard covered his own. But the most distinct feature were the lime green eyes which seemed to glow in contrast to the darkness around the two of them.

The rain came, falling down to create gully washers around them as Hyperion rose up and readied to face his adversary. "Who are you!?" he demanded, though some part of him already suspected he knew the identity of his would-be attacker. The oddest part of this vision was the fact that he was seeing himself from a disembodied perspective, watching himself adopt a ready stance with both his blades and ask the question. This perspective took him behind the bulky Jedi Knight until only the brown cloak could be seen and none of the other features unless this foe extended an arm or a hand a certain fashion.

But in the moments following Hyperion's inquiry, a hand did extend only to unclip the lightsaber and point it toward the ground at his flank. He ignited the blade, revealing a blade as lime green as his eyes and the hilt seemed vaguely familiar to him. It was when he recognized the scars on the dorsal side of the human man's hands that he recognized who this was and likely knew what he was doing on this same world as Hyperion. In the moments before the fallen Sith warrior awoke to greet the present galaxy, he knew that he was standing face to face with his brother Dantius once more and that Dantius now had the gleam in his eye of destruction.

That all-too-familiar gleam that told Hyperion that this time, Dantius would allow no room for mercy beyond what his Code demanded, no more humanity than the Jedi dictated. Then he awoke with a sudden jolt likely that of fear at what he had just foreseen. He was soaked in sweat that would later cake his sheets with their salt and his breaths were heavy with panic. When he calmed down, he put it to his mind's rear and prepared to travel to worlds beyond his own.


End file.
